


Waltzing in the Rain

by Twin_Lance



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-12-29
Packaged: 2017-12-25 11:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twin_Lance/pseuds/Twin_Lance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all revolved around Rinoa's birthday. Finally old enough to be considered an adult, she can stop hiding out as a teenage runaway and explore the woman she wants to be. Little does Squall know that she has life changing plans for his future as well. Bridges will be mended and relationships will be healed. Takes place 8 months after the game. Written for the WiBi challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beast of Galbadia

**Author's Note:**

> Author's notes: I would like to thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of Waltzing in the Rain. This is part of the Where I Belong Inspired By Challenge. The original Where I Belong Challenge was such a success that it was decided we'd have an "Inspired By" challenge in which we'd try to write much longer stories, still surrounding the Squall & Rinoa romance theme. 
> 
> All of the Final Fantasy VIII stories I post here will be part of a series. All of the stories will build upon one another but still be independent of one another. You can choose to read any one of them without having read the stories that came before. I hope you enjoy.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VIII.

Twin-Lance

Chapter One: The Beast of Galbadia

It had started off innocently enough. Squall had been enjoying a very quiet, peaceful breakfast in the kitchen of their new apartment on the upper level. He savored his coffee as he gazed out towards the snow capped mountains beyond his kitchen window. There were only a handful of things Squall absolutely loved. They were, in order of importance, Rinoa, gunblades, hot dogs, the apartment, and his hair conditioner. He enjoyed not having to contend with hundreds of hungry cadets, and then another few hundred hungry SeeDs just to get a bite to eat. The peace and quiet was absolutely blissful. Too bad Rinoa had to shatter it with a request.

"Do you know what I'd like to have for my birthday?" she asked as she carried a plate of trabian toast over and placed it in front of him.

"….." Squall stared down at the plate suspiciously. Trabian toast was something she usually fixed when she was buttering him up for something he wouldn't want to do. After the last time she'd fixed it, she'd dragged him to go see a professional photographer. Sure the end result had been picture proof that he had a girlfriend who was willing to put up with his stubbornness, but the process had been awkward and annoying.

"Oh come on," she said as she sat beside him with her own plate. "You're supposed to ask what I want."

He looked over at her wry little grin. The longer he stared at her, the bigger her grin got. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask. "What do you want?" he asked cautiously.

She smiled broadly, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "I want you to go up to Esthar and spend some time with your father."

No amount of cinnamon, syrup, or powdered sugar would sweeten him up enough to agree to that. "No," he said flatly.

She started pouting instantly. "Why not?"she protested. "The man calls here constantly. He isn't a bad guy. You're just being a big meanie."

"That isn't a legitimate birthday request." He frowned as he watched her eyes start to well up with tears. She was seriously going to start crying on him. Why was she so adamant about this? "Rinoa, I just– "

"Are you annoyed by him? Embarrassed by him?" she asked.

"Smothered by him," he added to her list as he picked up his fork and started cutting his toast. "Anytime I go around him, he's always there, hovering. I can't get away from him. That, and he doesn't stop calling. He even had Ellone call twice."

Rinoa reached over and slid his plate away from him. He stared at her, holding his fork in his right hand. "He calls because he cares," she stated. "And he's embarrassing because that's what parents are supposed to be to their children."

Was that an expected role? No wonder most adults were so annoying. He gave her a frustrated look, really wanting to get his food back.

"I would understand if he was a bad guy but he's not. He's not mean or controlling or anything like my father." She was on the verge of tears again. Was this really about _her_ father? He didn't dare ask her. "You have these good people in your family and you won't even give them the time of day."

Since shortly after he stepped up to be her knight, they'd shared a link. It allowed for them to share feelings and emotions with little effort or explanation. For the most part, he'd embraced it. The link allowed him to let her know how he felt without having to say it. Usually it was a blessing. Right now it was a curse, because she had the link between them on fire.

Women were difficult enough to deal with when they were emotional, and Rinoa was a very emotional woman. When she was happy and excited, she radiated her joy, but when she was angry or distressed she became practically engulfed by it. Squall had come to understand why it was that she sympathized with people in need of help. She was an amazingly compassionate person who had a capacity to care about people like no one else he had ever met. She could read people and understand their struggles. As much as he hated that she had to carry the burden of her powers, he couldn't have come up with a better person to have them.

Sharing a life with Rinoa meant experiencing her highs and lows, and not criticizing her for her natural openness about her self-awareness and her surroundings. They were practically opposites, but through their connection he was learning more and more about how normal, undamaged people thought and reacted to the world around him. Being with her made him a better leader and a wiser man… not that he was ready to embrace his adulthood yet.

He could feel her distress and frustration through their bond just as plain and clear as he could see it on her face. The emotions she was projecting through their bond were so strong he was starting to get affected by them himself. He was not going to let her make him cry. There was a brief but silent exchange between them. He adverted his eyes from hers but it did him no good. He couldn't escape her that simply. Nothing shy of one of Odine's amulets would sever the link between them. His shoulders slumped in defeat as she slid his plate back to him.

He ate his trabian toast begrudgingly, savoring its sweet, wonderful taste but hating it for the strings that came attached to it. Rinoa meanwhile, gleefully ate hers, very clearly pleased with herself and happy that Squall was _willingly_ taking the initiative to contact his father. While she was washing off their dirty dishes, he called Esthar and made arrangements for a weekend visit.

* * *

Before going to Esthar, Squall had business in Deling. Leaving Rinoa behind made him uncomfortable, but he knew she'd be safe at Garden, even if he wasn't there with her. He stepped off the bus and out onto the curb outside of Caraway's mansion. He looked past the guard on duty and up at the looming castle beyond. Waiting for Irvine to join him, Squall offered a nod to the guard before starting his walk to the front door.

"All I can tell you is that Selphie is borderline ecstatic," Irvine informed Squall as they walked. "She went out and bought a spare battery for the camcorder."

Squall made a face. "Did she really?"

Irvine grinned. "Sure did. She said this time she wasn't going to miss anything."

He groaned faintly. "I really hate that thing," he informed him.

"I know you do," he smiled, glancing around them at the puddles that were forming out on the lawn. "Looks like it's been raining a lot here. Nothing like a cold Galbadian rain."

Squall gave him an odd look. "Whatever that means," he said, looking up as raindrops started falling again. He ducked under the overhang and hesitated at the door. "I need to speak with the General," he said quietly. "You're here to make sure he doesn't lock me in a dungeon or throw me in the sewers."

Irvine contemplated this for a moment before nodding. "Should've known there was an angle to you wanting to hang out with me."

Squall grinned as he reached out and rang the doorbell. "Should've," he teased. Irvine punched him playfully in the arm. "That hurt," Squall complained, pausing when a short woman answered the door with an apron on. She must've been the maid. He was instantly reminded of Rinoa's suspicion that the maid's daughter might've been her half-sister. "I need to speak with General Caraway."

The maid nodded, looking at Squall and then Irvine. "Alright," she said, stepping back to let them in. "The General wasn't expecting visitors," she warned them.

"We won't take up too much of his time," Irvine assured her as he removed his hat and smiled. She returned his smile. Squall didn't say anything as he observed her, but she seemed friendly enough.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a dainty bistro table in the back sunroom, a short, chubby little girl aligned an armful of dolls and stuffed animals in a row. Scurrying around both the table and the chair that the Caraway was sitting in, she grabbed a pair of plastic teacups before running back.

Fury pretended not to notice as she clamored up into the chair opposite his. His eyes never left the _Deling City Times_ as he scanned it for any articles that might interest him.

"Sugar, General?" the little girl asked as she placed cups in front of her toys.

"Yes please," he said in an absent tone as he moved his pink plastic cup closer to her. Still reading the paper, he pulled his hand away to turn the page.

"There you go, Sir!" she said enthusiastically. "Be careful it's hot!"

"Thank you Buttercup," he replied as he reached around his paper, picked up his cup, and brought it back to his saucer. Lifting it up to his lips, he pretended to drink as the little girl giggled.

"My name isn't Buttercup," she laughed. "It's Azalea."

He put down his paper, looking at her seriously. "Are you certain it isn't Violet?" he asked. "Or Rose or Lily?"

She continued with her high pitched giggle. "No silly! It's Azalea, like your little flowers," she pointed out one of the rain streaked windows toward the back garden. His gaze followed her finger as she pressed it up against the glass.

"I suppose you're right then, Miss Azalea," he smiled.

She smiled but the smile was short lived. "Charlie Chocobo! You know Honey and Miss Wiggleworth don't like it when you crowd them!" she swatted the offending stuffed chocobo off of the windowsill and onto the floor. Plopping down onto the floor, she dragged the stuffed animal over by Fury, and propped it up against his chair. "Time out for you mister! The General'll make you walk the line," she scolded the toy with her hands on her hips. "And for being rude you can't have none of Mama's cookies," she added one last jab before returning to her seat.

Fury spared a glance down at the dejected little chocobo doll while Azalea assured her other tea party guests that they wouldn't be disturbed by him any longer. He was about to open his mouth to say something when he heard vaguely familiar voices echoing down the hall. He folded his paper, listening to the hurried footsteps of the maid.

"More party guests!" Azalea exclaimed, springing from her seat.

"No," he said sternly, dropping his paper on the table. He recognized the voices at the door. "This is official business," he stated, giving the girl a firm look before rolling up his sleeves a bit. "Sit, have some tea," he spoke to the guard in the hall. "Stay here," he ordered Azalea.

"Yes Sir!" Azalea saluted along with the guard. Shaking his head, Fury made his way down the hall as the guard took a seat across from Azalea's chair.

* * *

Left alone in the front foyer, Squall looked around, taking in the décor of the mansion. It was impressive, to say the least. Everything about it screamed that the General was loaded. Taking a step closer to the staircase, he stole a glance up, trying to imagine if Rinoa's childhood bedroom was as extravagantly decorated as the rest of the place.

Caraway's footsteps pulled him back into the moment. He looked over, seeing the taller man come into the room. "Let's go to my office," Caraway stated, leading them without question. Squall and Irvine both followed silently. "Can I get either of you drinks?" Squall felt like it was a forced social courtesy, so he shook his head. Caraway leaned against the front of his desk and loosely crossed his arms across his chest. It was a little odd seeing the General in regular clothes, even if those clothes were still dressier than any civilian clothes Squall owned. An awkward silence settled in the room.

Irvine cleared his throat and crossed his arms as well. Squall spared him a glance. This wouldn't go over well and he knew it.

"So what brings you to Deling?" Caraway asked. "You interrupted my tea time," he stated almost accusingly as some of his dark but graying hair fell onto his forehead.

Irvine looked over at Squall. He was at a loss for words but wished Squall would spit out whatever it was he'd come to talk about.

Squall slid his hands into his pockets as he watched Caraway. "I wanted to speak to you about Rinoa," he stated. Irvine looked over at him in surprise.

Caraway narrowed his eyes. "What about her? Is she alright?" he asked.

"We've been dating since the end of the war," he told him. "And I'd like your permission to marry her."

"No," Caraway said flatly as he pushed himself off the front of the desk and stood up straight.

"No?" Squall asked. "Why not?"

"For starters? She's still a minor."

"She turns eighteen tomorrow," Squall stated.

Caraway glared daggers at him. "Do all SeeD team leaders make it a point to get romantically involved with their clients?" he frowned.

"No, I –"

"I wasn't talking to you," Caraway cut him off. "I'm talking to Kinneas."

Irvine hesitated. "I… I am just a cadet," he shrugged it off. "I'm sure there's something in the handbook." Not that he'd ever read it…

"It's unprofessional," Caraway informed Squall.

Squall scowled at him. "So is sending away your crush's love interest to war to get him out of the way."

For just a moment, Caraway paused. Was that why Squall always looked so familiar to him? Surely not… "She's been staying with you hasn't she," he accused. "That looks real good on Garden. An underage runaway living with the Garden Commander." He looked past Squall and motioned for Azalea to go in the other room. Instead, she just stood in the main doorway, her little black pig-tails hanging a bit crooked.

"She's in Timber," Squall lied without effort. "She's helping some of the locals try to rebuild their lives after your army wrecked everything."

It was now Caraway's turn to scowl. Irvine grew distracted from the two angry men when he saw who the General had been gesturing to. If she didn't look like a spitting image of ol' Fury, Irvine didn't know what more it would take for her to.

Seeing that she'd caught Irvine's eye, Azalea scurried over and reached up to take his hand. "Want to come to my tea party?" she smiled sweetly up at him.

Irvine grinned. Whoever she was, she was adorable. Before he could respond, the maid rushed over and whisked the girl away.

"She's pregnant isn't she?" Caraway's words brought Irvine back to following their argument.

"No she isn't," Squall defended himself. The two men were practically standing toe to toe. Irvine stepped forward, a little uncomfortable with how this might escalate.

"Sure about that?" Caraway asked. "You're both too young to be considering vows."

Squall frowned. Somehow, revealing to Caraway that his daughter was a sorceress, and that their link made them incredibly closer to each other than any normal couple would probably ever be, didn't feel like an appropriate answer, even though it was the truth.

"She is pregnant, isn't she?"

"No," he argued. "She is not."

"Well then whatever the two of you have going on, knock it off," he told him. "End it. I know what's best for my daughter and you're not good enough."

Irvine thanked his lucky stars that Selphie didn't have a father for him to contend with—and then he felt guilty about it.

"How would you know? It's been so many years you can't possibly know her anymore," Squall stated.

Caraway glared at him. "Coming from some teenage boy who's known her for less than a year? She paid you to fight for her cause, don't fool yourself into thinking she would've ever given you the time of day if you two had just run into each other on the street. But then, after the war was over, instead of walking away, you took her back to your Garden where she's been your little live in girlfriend ever since. She's just with you to get back at me." He stepped closer to Squall, closing whatever small gap there might've been. "Don't lie to me. I'm a career soldier, I know your kind. You're a merc. You got your paycheck, you got her innocence, and when you get bored you'll move on to another woman. You're Squall Leonhart, savior of the world. You could have any girl you set your sights on."

Squall frowned as some of his hair fell into his face. If this was the way Caraway wanted to be, he was more than happy to pretend he wasn't a part of Rinoa's family and just give into her requests to deal with his annoying father. "Well I've got news for you," he stated. "You think you've got me all figured out. You think I've committed some unspeakable act by ruining your princess. You ruined her innocence back when you drove her so far away that she ran to another country and joined a resistance group to rebel against you. She lived with freedom fighters on a train," he said flatly. "I don't know what it's like to grow up with parents, but that sounds pretty extreme. She hasn't had it easy. She's seen more fighting than some of my SeeDs have. I've got news for you though. I didn't take anything away from her- she gave it away a long time before I ever came into the picture, probably as a result of some type of psychological scarring you gave her."

It had taken a moment for Irvine to process what Squall had said. Did that mean that Rinoa and Seifer… Caraway's fist had flown much faster than Irvine had been prepared to intercept. Getting between the General and his Commander, Irvine pulled Squall to his feet and pushed him back towards the door. "When fists start flying it's time to leave," Irvine said before Squall could protest.

"Fury!" the maid exclaimed, realizing what had happened. "Let me get him some ice," she said to Irvine as she started for the kitchen.

"Don't!" Caraway called out after her. "Let it swell," he frowned.

Irvine kept between Caraway and Squall as they made their exit. "Cute daughter by the way," Irvine replied dryly, knowing Caraway was guarding that little secret.

"She's the maid's," Caraway said flatly, despite the fact that both he and the near three year old shared a number of similar features.

Irvine followed Squall out the front door, and flinched only slightly when Caraway slammed it behind him. "That went well," he stated as they walked along the pathway.

Squall frowned, gently touching the place he'd been hit. "If anyone asks about my eye, lie," he said as he followed Irvine past the street guard and to the bus stop.


	2. Homebound Train

 

**Waltzing in the Rain**

Twin-Lance

Chapter Two: Homebound Train

Irvine crossed the cobblestone roadway, a bag of honey roasted nuts in one hand and a fountain drink in the other. Off a few blocks away, he could hear a train departing for the East Academy Station. While Timber wasn't known for having the most commuter-friendly rail system, the walking distance between the loading platforms did allow ample opportunity to browse the local shops and vendors. Trotting up the stairs to the train boarding for Balamb, Irvine flashed his ticket before stepping on board.

Squall didn't even look over when the door to the SeeD Car slid open. Irvine paused in the doorway, staring at Squall as he lay stretched out on the couch with one leg hanging off the edge.

"Well don't you just look pitiful," he teased as he shut the door and flopped down on the edge of the bed. "I got something for you," he continued, putting his cup on the table.

"I'm not hungry," Squall replied.

"Psh. I'm not sharing these with you," Irvine grinned as he dug through the medical supplies stored under the table. "If you wanted some you should've went with me to the market."

Squall tilted his head to try to see what he was doing.

Irvine pulled out a medical glove and then popped the top off of his cup. Turning the cup over, he dumped his ice into the glove and tied the end. "For your eye," he grinned, plopping the makeshift ice pack on Squall's face and kicking the supply cabinet door closed.

Squall made a face but didn't remove the glove full of ice. Irvine grinned as he watched him adjust the glove over his eye.

"I don't think it's going to look that bad," Irvine offered.

"Rinoa is still going to notice it," Squall mumbled.

Irvine just grinned as he popped a few nuts in his mouth. "You got the General of the Galbadian Army to punch you in the face," he teased. "That's almost bragging rights."

"I can't believe he hit me," Squall complained as he sat up and held the glove to his eye.

"I can," Irvine stated, getting comfortable on the bottom bunk of the bed.

Squall sent him a one-eyed glare from the couch.

"I can," he defended himself. "You've got to work on your people skills. You never talk to a girl's father like that…. even if he is being a prick."

"I still don't see what I said that was so wrong."

Irvine shook his head. "You took a problem he had with you and turned it around to make his little girl look bad."

"….."

"Whatever caused their bad relationship, he still looks at her as his little girl. And if you knew absolutely anything about daddies and their little girls, then you would know that you never, ever, suggest for an instant, that their little girls have done some kind of wrong." Irvine watched him seriously, resisting the urge to finish off his roasted nuts. "And Squall man, you basically told him his little girl was a slut. You're lucky he didn't shoot you with his pistol or pull one of his decorative gunblades off the wall and try to castrate you."

Squall huffed. Was Irvine's analysis a little extreme? He wasn't entirely certain. "She can't stand him—"

"Doesn't mean he still doesn't think the world of her," Irvine replied with a shrug as he dumped the rest of his bag's contents into his mouth. "She's his little girl Squall, and she'll probably always be his little girl. You've just got to accept the way father's think."

"I never had a father— "

"Yeah well neither did a lot of kids after the first sorceress war. Doesn't make what I said any less true. If you're going to lead Garden you've got to learn how to read and respond to people better."

Squall glared at him as he stood.

"Get mad, storm away, doesn't make what I'm saying any less true."

Squall wanted to leave but didn't. Beneath his feet, the train lurched forward as it started to move. He stood there for a moment before sitting back down on the couch. He played with the glove of ice with his right hand.

"You also need to stop doing that silent judging thing you do and start analyzing people instead."

"What?"

"You're smart. Possibly smart enough to do whatever you wanted if you influenced the right people," Irvine stated. "But right now, most of what you do just puts people off. You've got awful social skills and you come off as judgmental and condescending."

Squall gave him a look before putting the glove back up over his bruised eye.

"It's true. And like it or not, people flock to you so you'd be an idiot not to try to take advantage of that."

"Do we have to talk about this now?" Squall asked.

"What else do we have to do for the next two hours?"

"Sleep? Sulk?" Squall replied as he laid back against the couch.

"But you did that for the first two hours after we left Deling," Irvine complained. "Sit up and entertain me."

Squall watched him as he pulled out a weathered and wrinkled deck of playing cards. "You know you can't beat me at triple triad."

"Bet I can," Irvine grinned.

Squall smiled faintly, setting the glove aside. "Bet you can't," he stated, pulling out a deck of cards from one of the pockets on his pants leg. Moving down to sit on the floor, Squall shuffled his deck. Irvine joined him. At least the train ride to Balamb would be more interesting than the ride between Deling and Timber.

* * *

Squall and Irvine made it back to Garden just before nine o'clock that evening. After keeping an ice pack on his face for most of the journey, Squall's skin was numb and pink from his cheekbone to his forehead. Unfortunately, it didn't take away from the bruising around his eye. If anything, it attracted the attention of what few people were still out in the halls.

"Nice shiner," Seifer said as he swiped his key in his door lock. "Were you hit so hard you forgot where you lived?" The door slid open but Seifer remained in the hall, grinning.

Squall hesitated, looking around before sighing. "No," he grumbled. "Old habit," he stated as he turned around and started back for the main circle. "Why didn't you stop me?" he asked Irvine.

"I assumed we were going to my room," he admitted.

Squall looked over. "I'm going straight to bed," he told him.

"Oh. Okay. I'll see you on the Ragnarok then," Irvine grinned. He'd be lying if he wasn't a little excited to head back to Esthar for the weekend.

Continuing his journey to the elevator alone, Squall slid his hands into his pockets. He wasn't looking forward to having to explain this to Rinoa. As far as she'd known, he'd gone into town to look into a gunblade modification, and to meet with a potential client.

Rinoa looked up from her seat on the couch when he came into their apartment. Edea was with her, and from the looks of it, they'd been studying a lot of medical resource books. Squall paused, taking everything in.

"Is someone sick?" he asked as he pressed the release on the door and pulled off his jacket as the door slid shut.

"Squall! What happened to your eye?" Rinoa asked as she stood up and came over. "I could tell you were upset earlier but I didn't imagine you'd be in a fight."

Damn their bond. Thankfully at least it only allowed them to exchange emotions, not thoughts. "I wasn't in a fight," he assured her. "I bent down to get something and was elbowed—"

"Let me get you some ice," Rinoa told him, leaving him standing just inside the door. He groaned quietly. He was just starting to get the feeling in his face back.

"So, what are you two doing?" he asked Matron. He tried not thinking of her as Edea. Edea had hurled a giant ice shard through his shoulder, only to heal him so he could be tortured. Edea had also tried to kill him and his friends. He watched her as she flipped through a handwritten botany book of some kind. He wanted to be able to open up to her but he hadn't entirely gotten past seeing her and remembering everything the evil sorceress had done. In his mind he knew he should be able to separate them, but despite his efforts, it was still difficult.

"I wanted to ensure that I never had to worry about being turned… evil," Rinoa admitted. "And I love helping people. What better way to do that than to become a healer?" she asked.

Squall smiled faintly, despite Rinoa placing a bag of frozen peas on his eye.

"Sorry, we don't have any baggies," she smiled as she moved back to the couch. Squall sat in the chair opposite her.

"What kind of healer do you want to be?" he asked, glad that he was wearing gloves still. The skin on his face was starting to burn from being kept so cold for so long.

She shrugged a bit, the motion causing her bangs to fall into her face. She tucked them back as she pulled her feet up underneath her. "I was thinking of going into nursing to get a bit of a medical background and then interning under Vonguten, the apothecary out on the ridge."

"You've been out to his shop?" he asked.

"I went out there once with Selphie and Fujin," she admitted. "Fujin helps around his shop after classes. I'd like to be able to make potions and elixirs."

"So that's what she's been up to," he said absently. He knew Raijin and Seifer were still next to inseparable, but he'd only seen Fujin with Seifer a few times.

Rinoa nodded. "She's very serious about it," she smiled. "I think it's a way to make up for the things she did to the people of Balamb while she was following Seifer." A brief flicker of sadness crossed Matron's features but neither Rinoa, nor Squall, said anything about it. There were some things none of them liked to talk about if they could help it, and Matron's possession was one of them. "Well, anyway, it was just an idea," Rinoa replied, fidgeting in her seat.

Squall smiled, he could sense she was excited but a little nervous. "I think you could be a great healer," he offered. It also couldn't hurt to have public opinion on her side in the event her secret was exposed.

Rinoa smiled, Squall's approval and support meant a lot.

"I should probably leave," Edea said as she stood. "You two are leaving in the morning aren't you?"

Rinoa nodded with a big grin. "An entire weekend in Esthar with Laguna."

Squall tried not to visibly cringe, even though he was fairly certain Rinoa felt his slight annoyance through their bond. He wouldn't complain though, he'd rather deal with his father than her's. He still wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea of bonding with Laguna, but part of him felt like she was the one needing this weekend, not him. It would explain why she'd requested the visit as a birthday gift.

"Good night Edea," Rinoa's voice rang out from across the room. Squall looked over. She and Matron seemed to really get along well. He wasn't surprised. Matron was a maternal figure to any child or teen that came near her. Naturally, Matron had a lot to do with the younger cadets at Garden. She lived to take care of others. Rinoa and Matron were kindred spirits.

"Good night Matron," Squall said quietly, standing and placing the bag of peas on the table.

Edea offered a smile and a wave before she left. Rinoa closed the door and looked over at him. "Ready for bed?" she asked. "We have an exciting day tomorrow!"

Squall smiled. Exciting wasn't the word he'd use but he wasn't going to say anything. Picking up the peas, he carried them to the kitchen and put them away. He shut off the lights and followed her to the bedroom. He had one long weekend ahead of him.


	3. Esthar Showers

Rinoa woke with a start when Angelo sprang up onto the bed and landed on top of her. Pushing the fluffy dog aside, she made a face and squinted at the bright sunlight streaming through the windows. Squall was already out of bed, not that she was surprised. He was up every morning before the sun, running, training, and doing whatever it was that early birds like him did. She brushed her hair back behind her ears and paused. Something smelled burnt. Squall had been cooking. Again.

Tossing her blankets aside she hopped out of bed and started for the door. Before she could open it, Squall stepped into the room, holding a tray in his arms. She stepped back and peered around him curiously.

"Have a seat," he told her, putting the tray down on her nightstand and lighting a lone candle sticking out of a donut.

She grinned broadly. "I get a candle? Squall I wouldn't have thought that you—"

"Selphie said you'd appreciate the candle," he replied before she could get too worked up and excited over something he thought was rather silly.

"Of course she did," she smiled. He was consulting people about what to do for her birthday?

"Yeah, I bumped into her in the cafeteria. Apparently she keeps a disturbing amount of candles stockpiled in the closet in her quarters. She keeps a lot of party supplies too. I'm not sure about it, but I think she might be breaking one of Garden's fire codes."

"I love it," Rinoa said quickly, afraid Squall was going to get distracted and start looking up regulations. He smiled just faintly as she picked up the donut. "But if you bought me donuts, what in the world happened in my kitchen?"

"That's classified," Squall told her.

She gave him a look over the frosting on her donut.

"It is. You'd have to have the highest level of security clearance to get access to that room right now…and you don't. So you can't see it."

She grinned. "Is it that bad?"

Squall grimaced as he nodded.

"Now you have to let me see it!" she teased him.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Rinoa pouted, causing Squall to give her a stern look. "Blow out your candle and eat your donut. I'll be right back."

Smiling broadly, Rinoa closed her eyes and blew out her candle. Squall watched her quietly. "What's with the look?" she asked him as she plucked her candle out and licked the icing off the bottom of it.

"What was with that big smile?" Squall asked.

"Just the thought of my birthday wish."

"…What was your wish?"

"That I can't tell you. If I do, it might not come true," she replied, playfully tapping the tip of his nose with her index finger before taking a bite of her donut. "Now go. Make my kitchen look clean and presentable before I finish eating and get dressed."

Once she had eaten, dressed, and spent half an hour primping in front of the mirror, Rinoa finally emerged from the bedroom. While the kitchen looked clean and tidy for the most part, she did walk into the room just in time to see Squall discard a pan in the trash. She crossed her arms, amused.

Squall turned around and saw her watching him. "…I'll replace that," he assured her.

She smiled. "You'd better," she said, raising a finger as if scolding him.

He looked away, searching the island for a moment before pulling out a box from a shelf under the counter. "Happy Birthday," he told her.

Rinoa smiled, coming over and taking the present from him. "…Wonder what it could be?" she grinned, making a show out of gently shaking the gift. Squall looked visibly nervous by her actions, only causing her to enjoy her game even more. "What's wrong? Is it breakable?" she asked.

"It might be," he admitted.

She smiled. "Ooh, now I really don't know what it is. Breakable rules out sheet music."

Squall smiled. "I couldn't buy you sheet music if I wanted. You've bought too much of it and I wouldn't know where to start."

Rinoa smiled, offering an innocent shrug as she got her present open and lifted the lid off. Placing it on the kitchen island, she pulled out the packing paper and paused.

"Every time we go to Ma Dincht's you always end up staring at her suncatchers," he explained when she didn't immediately say anything.

She smiled broadly. "You noticed that?" she asked as she carefully lifted up the rather sizeable stained glass piece. "It's beautiful. Which window should I hang it in?" she asked, looking around.

"I don't know…" he replied as he looked around. He didn't really care.

She held it up in front of one of the living room windows. "I think here…"

Squall smiled, pausing momentarily at a cheery, melodic knock at the door, before the knocks turned to buzzes as their visitor played out the rest of the melody with the door buzzer. He sighed. "…Selphie," he mumbled as he crossed the room to open the door.

"Hiya Squall! Where's the birthday girl?" Selphie asked, leaning to the side to look around him. She smiled broadly as Rinoa waved at her. She hurried around Squall, bounding over to Rinoa and holding out a gift enthusiastically.

Irvine offered a lazy shrug when Squall looked back at him.

"Might as well come in too," Squall stated.

Irvine smiled as he stepped inside. "The ship leaves out in an hour right?"

Squall nodded.

"Selphie has been up since five, rechecking our luggage. I remember a time when we trotted around the world with little more than the clothes on our backs and our weapons…"

Squall grinned. "So do I."

"Women can't pack lightly."

Selphie spun around and stuck her tongue out at Irvine.

"…What? I didn't pack that much," Rinoa stated as she looked over the little dress Selphie had bought her. "Okay maybe a few bags…."

"Irvy is just giving me grief for making sure we have everything we'll need for Esthar," Selphie rolled her eyes.

"You're going this weekend too?" Rinoa asked her.

Irvine looked over at Squall. "Rinoa doesn't know?" he asked quietly.

"She does now," Squall mumbled, holding his breath a bit.

Rinoa was upset but she didn't show it. She merely smiled and held the dress up to her chest. "Sounds like a blast," she told Selphie. "I'm going to go try this on."

"I'll zip you up," Selphie said, following her. She sent Squall a look. How could he have not told Rinoa that everyone was going to Esthar with them?

Squall gazed out at the buzzing Esthar City below. No matter how many times he came here, he was always a little intimidated. Between the foot traffic, the car lanes, and the intricate lift system, people were everywhere. The skyscrapers didn't help much either. From the ground, it could be a difficult city to navigate. He sighed. From his seat by the window he could see Laguna waiting out on the loading platform. Of course he was waiting. Smothering him was what Laguna did best.

He spared a glance over at Rinoa, who was staring right back at him. Standing, he walked over to where she was. "You can't be upset they're all coming along," he told her.

"Do you really think I can't?" she asked as she looked up at him. "I wanted this to be a family bonding weekend."

Squall frowned. "I know," he said quietly, trying to keep from being overheard. "But this is Esthar and you're a sorceress." He watched her for a long moment, weighing whether or not his reasoning required further explanation. "They're still scarred from Adel, I can't trust them not to try something. Call it…safety in numbers. I would rather you be safe so you can be annoyed with me, than frozen in a tomb somewhere."

Rinoa pondered this a moment and then smiled as she stood. "You're so sweet when you worry about me." He stood there as she pulled him into an overzealous hug. Rinoa could be dramatic like that sometimes. She gave his midsection a tight squeeze before letting go. He patted her head absently as he gazed out the window. It was a teasing but playful gesture that he knew amused her despite her complaints about it. She poked him in the stomach, causing him to step back away from her and grin. "You'd better hug me Squall Leonhart," she stated, placing her hands on her hips.

He made a face and held up his hands.

"Oh you're going to, or all the guys up front are going to find out just how ticklish you are," she grinned mischievously. Rinoa lunged forward, her fingers just barely grazing the side of his white t-shirt. Squall twisted, moving just far enough out of her reach that she couldn't tickle him. A soft laugh escaped his lips as Rinoa came after him again. He caught her wrists with his hands and pulled her in for a gentle kiss. Turning her around so that he still had a hold of her arms, he pulled her back up against his chest and gave her a hug. What could only be described as a happy squeal escaped her lips.

"Get a room," Irvine interrupted them.

Squall immediately let go of her and shot Irvine an annoyed look. Leave it to Irvine to make things awkward.

Beneath them, the Ragnarok settled down onto the landing pad. Squall took a deep breath. This was it. Once Selphie lowered the ramp, his weekend of fun family bonding was going to start. He just silently reminded himself that Laguna wasn't as bad as Fury. It didn't take much to be reminded of Fury right now either. He'd seen himself in the bathroom mirror. His eye was quite colorful today. All he could do at this point was be happy that it hadn't swollen shut. Picking up his black duffel, he reached over and picked up both of Rinoa's bags as well. With one bag on his shoulder and two in his left hand, Squall reached over and took Rinoa's hand with his right.

She smiled, giving his hand a squeeze as they stepped off the menacing aircraft. A salty wind greeted them as they made their way towards where Laguna was waiting with Ward and Kiros. Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Irvine, Selphie, Zell, and Quistis were coming, Squall let Rinoa pull him closer to his father. He wasn't thrilled but he would attempt to make the best of it—for her.

"Hi guys!" Laguna called out to them, waving his hand over his head as if they might miss him. Beside him, Ward smiled broadly while Kiros just shook his head. "Oooh, nice shiner," he said to Squall once he was an arm's distance away. "Hope you won," he chuckled as he stepped up onto the Presidential transport. "Come on guys. Supper should be ready by the time we get back to the palace."

Irvine nudged Squall in the ribs as he carried all of Selphie's bags.

Squall shot him a brief scowl. Irvine enjoyed teasing a little more than he should. Letting Irvine and Selphie board first, Squall followed Rinoa inside and took a seat near the door. Laguna waited for Quistis and Zell before plopping down in the seat opposite Squall. Of course he'd chosen that seat. Squall tried not to look too annoyed even though he knew he was being analyzed.

"At least he bruises better than you do," Kiros said as he sat on the other side of Laguna.

Laguna shot him a look.

"It's true. One bad blow and you turn purple and puffy in an instant."

Across from them, Ward smiled as he took a seat next to Squall.

Looking up at him, Squall couldn't help but take in how large Ward was. Up until now, he'd felt fairly confident in his height—just last week he was measured and found to be up to five foot nine inches. His two inch growth spurt meant nothing compared to the seven foot giant next to him.

"So how did you get that black eye?" Laguna interrupted his thoughts.

Squall sighed and looked away.

"…It's not a big deal," Laguna conceded.

Rinoa scolded Squall through the bond they shared. He looked over at her. He had a feeling he was going to be getting a lot of telepathic reprimands from her on this trip.

"I fell," he muttered.

"You… fell?" Kiros questioned it.

"Yes."

"Wait, I thought Irvy elbowed you while you were bent down picking something up," Selphie stated.

Squall could feel them all staring at him.

"And then he fell down," Irvine laughed.

Squall grinned just slightly. Irvine was good at making stuff up, even if his statement was partially true. He'd also been picked back up by the cowboy, but much to his relief, Irvine left that detail out.

"The palace is beautiful when the sun hits it like that," Quistis offered as she gazed out the window, changing the course of the conversation entirely.

Laguna grinned, gazing at it with her. "It really is," he agreed.

Squall could've cared less about the sunlight; he was more interested in the dark rain clouds to their southwest.

"We're here," Kiros announced as he opened the door and stepped out of the transport. Ward was right behind him. Everyone else stood and quietly disembarked. "You guys can go on in and unload your things. We've got guest rooms waiting."

Rinoa smiled as she slid her arm through Squall's. This wasn't turning out so bad at all.

Getting inside, Laguna explained that there were three available guest rooms, with Ellone living in the fourth. There seemed a bit of hesitancy among the group as they tried to decide who would go in what rooms. As far as all of them were concerned, Squall and Rinoa would stay together while the others worked things out.

"Come on, Darlin'. I would much rather share a room with you than with Dincht over there," Irvine pleaded with Selphie.

"I know but… I can't abandon Quistis to share a room with him."

Zell listed to the conversation with crossed arms. "What? Do I smell or something?" he asked Quistis dryly as he sniffed himself to be certain. Quistis chuckled and shook her head no.

"But you can make me?" Irvine pouted.

"It's different, you're a guy."

"It's different because you're a girl," Irvine continued, determined to win this. "You're my girl."

"Oh like you'd know what to do with a girl anyway," Zell blurted, tired of feeling like the outcast.

A snicker escaped Quistis's lips. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth.

Irvine turned red. Before he could say anything, Laguna stepped in.

"How about we just put the girls in one room and the boys in the other?" he asked. Selphie and Rinoa lit up almost simultaneously.

"It could be like a slumber party!" Selphie exclaimed.

"I wouldn't know what to do at a slumber party," Quistis admitted.

"Oh I can show you. It'll be so much fun," Rinoa smiled, excited by this unexpected turn of events. This would give Squall time away from her to spend with his father— whether he wanted to or not.

"No," Squall shot the idea down before Irvine could.

Laguna smiled uncomfortably, scratching the back of his head. "I kind of think this is for the best. I mean, girls with girls and boys with boys."

"Rinoa sleeps with me," Squall told him flatly.

"Squall," Rinoa tried to stop him.

"No," he told her. "You're not going to be down the hall in another room. This is Esthar. They have a bad history with sorceresses. They've already tried to lock you up once without provocation, I won't give them the opportunity to do it again." He looked back over at Laguna. "She stays with me. I don't trust your people."

Laguna seemed a bit unsure of how to proceed. "Squall, I can assure you that she will be safe," he offered cautiously. "People can't just stroll into the palace. Kiros has guards and stuff."

"It's really okay," Rinoa said quietly.

"No it's not," Squall dismissed her before turning to Laguna. "Had I realized a weekend in Esthar meant being separated from her I would've never called you to come up here."

"Squall I…" Laguna winced, reaching down to grab his leg. This was one of the few times he was thankful to have a leg cramp. Things between him and Squall were awkward at best, and this was one of those times Laguna wasn't entirely convinced Squall didn't hate him.

Rinoa crossed her arms and walked over to a large paned window to look out. It was starting to rain. That fit her mood perfectly. Sure she could sense Squall's apprehension and annoyance but sometimes she needed a break from him always being there. He needed to learn that a little space between them wouldn't mean certain doom.

Squall sighed. And now he'd upset everybody, not that he cared.

"You really don't get it do you?" Laguna asked, cautiously standing back up on the cramped leg. "I'm not trying to be mean, it just, isn't appropriate for two people, who aren't, you know… married to stay in the same room. Things could happen," he said with a red face.

Squall buried his face in his hand. Laguna was afraid he was going to have sex? That didn't make things more awkward between them at all…

Beside Quistis, Zell chuckled. This was good entertainment. She elbowed him playfully and managed to keep a straight face. She could've spent her weekend in Balamb with Seifer, but there were some things one just couldn't pass up, and Squall and Laguna embarrassing one another was definitely one of them.

"I'm not trying to make a big deal out of this. I just… imagine what her father would do if he found out," Laguna stated.

"He'd probably sock him in the eye," Irvine grinned broadly.

Squall looked over at Irvine immediately, his hand falling to his side. "…"

Rinoa spun around, reading everything she needed to by the emotional response she felt from Squall. She took hold of his arm and turned him around to look at his face. "My father did this?! And you weren't going to tell me where you…"

"…."

"Squall?" she pressed. "What where you doing in Deling? You told me you were going into Balamb for the day."

Squall crossed his arms over his chest, glaring daggers at Irvine. "Fine," he conceded defeat to his father. If he was in the doghouse maybe he didn't want to spend the night with her. "Selphie, Quistis, you both brought your weapons right?"

"Affirmative!" Selphie smiled, knowing where this was heading.

"Yes Sir," Quistis nodded with a thin but knowing smile.

"Then you girls can have your slumber party," Squall informed them. "Irvine and Zell, you two are with me," he stated, staring at Irvine.

"Yay!" Selphie beamed. "Come on, let's get the room closest to Ellone's."

"You know, there are three guest rooms available," Irvine stated. "I could take the third one…"

Squall frowned. "Like he said, girls with girls, boys with boys. Otherwise, things might happen."

Zell leaned in towards Irvine. "I think you might want to keep witnesses around for the next twelve or twenty-four hours," he whispered with a grin.

"No kidding," Irvine mumbled.

"So how did it go down?" Zell whispered.

"I'll tell you in the room," Irvine said quietly.

Even though Quistis followed Selphie to their room, Rinoa did not. She stared at Squall, still waiting for an explanation.

"It was nothing, okay?" Squall told her.

"It was definitely something," Rinoa argued. "He hit you."

Squall looked back over at Laguna. This was all his fault.

Laguna shifted a bit awkwardly. "Alright kids, toss your bags in your rooms and lets go have supper."

Squall carried Rinoa's bags to the room she'd be staying in and sat it on the large bed in the middle of the floor.

Rinoa remained in the big lobby, looking out at the effects the rain had on all the lights below. There was a fog settling in and it blurred all the colors of the city together.

"I need to head home," Kiros told Laguna in the background. "Have fun."

"I intend to," Laguna smiled, even if he was still a little rattled from already butting heads with Squall.

"Don't let him get to you," he told him. "He's a teenager. It's his job to be headstrong and defiant. Believe me, I know." Kiros's tone emitted exasperation, something that caught Rinoa's attention but she didn't say anything. Kiros clearly had children. She silently wondered about Ward and then Laguna before letting her thoughts drift back to his and Squall's relationship. She wanted it to be better. She wanted some kind of extended family beyond Balamb Garden. Watching the rain fall outside, she took notice of a rooftop garden of some kind. Stealing a quick glance over her shoulder, she walked off.

Squall was out of the bedroom a moment later.

"Hey Squall, um, the food is ready if any of you are hungry," Laguna offered.

"Where's Rinoa?" Squall practically demanded.

Laguna looked around, baffled. "Well she was over at the window," he said, scratching the back of his head.

A brief panic set in as Squall blew past him and ran down the hall. She didn't seem to be in any distress but he couldn't see her, and in Esthar, that was frightening to him. Rinoa was coming back in as he was about to run out. He stopped dead in his tracks, observing her for a moment. Taking a moment to compose himself, he acted as if he'd never been concerned despite knowing she knew better.

"Didn't mean to scare you," she offered a smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to go see the garden out on the rooftop."

"In the rain?" he asked.

"Why not?" she asked. "Do you have something against rain Squall?"

For the first time since the Ragnarok, he smiled at her. "Nothing at all."

"Good. Now come look at these flowers with me before it gets too dark," she told him.

"Laguna said that the food is ready," he protested when she took his hand.

Rinoa pouted. "Pretty please? Just for a minute? They're so pretty with little rain drops dancing on their petals."

Squall's shoulders slumped. Regardless of his current feelings about Laguna, he was hungry.

"Yay!" she smiled as she tugged him outside and into the light rain.

"This is a garden?" Squall asked as they started down a path with flowering plants on both sides of them.

"I know right? It's like, an entire forest of flowers," Rinoa smiled, keeping hold of his hand as she tugged him deeper into the rooftop garden. "Its way up here on the roof so you can't hear the traffic below, and the vines and taller plants give us total privacy."

He smiled. He did enjoy being alone with her. Pulling her to him, he leaned down and kissed her. Rinoa slid her arm around his neck as she moved up to stand on her tiptoes. They continued kissing as the rain fell on them.

Gripping the front of his wet t-shirt with her right hand, she held him close as she kept her left arm around his neck. "I love you, Squall Leonhart," she whispered against his lips. He smiled that sweet and simple smile that he only smiled for her.

"I love you too, Rinoa Heartilly," he responded, stooping a bit to let his forehead press against hers. It was her turn to smile as she tilted her head up and recaptured his lips with her own. He slid his hands back to her hips and then down to the backs of her thighs.

She let out a squeal as he lifted her up into the air. Holding her up, he kissed her once more as she slid both arms around his neck and played with his hair. From her higher vantage point, Rinoa could see the all too familiar red light of Selphie's camcorder. Selphie was such a little snoop. She grinned, not telling Squall. Brushing his wet hair from his forehead, she rested her forehead against and leaned in just enough for their noses to touch but not their lips. "Dance with me," she whispered.

Squall opened his eyes, rain drops still streaking down his face. "What? Here?"

"I couldn't think of a more amazing place to do it," she smiled. "I can't imagine how beautiful it is in the sunlight."

"There isn't any music," he told her, not wanting to give her a flat out no.

"The rain can be our music," she told him.

Squall was quiet for a long moment, listening. "Alright," he told her as his stomach growled. "One dance."

"Then I'd better make it count then," she smiled, hopping down from his arms and taking his hand. "You're the best looking guy out here," she smiled.

"I'm the only guy out here," he pointed out, the rain flattening his hair against his head.

She poked him in the stomach before pulling him closer again. "Oh dance with me already!"

"Is that an order?" he asked as he placed his free hand on her hip and took a step back.

"A waltz?" she asked, feigning surprise. "I had no idea you were such an accomplished dancer," she smiled as he led her through the moves.

"It's the only dance worthy," he informed her as their shoes splashed in the water on the rooftop. "Of a sorceress and a knight," he added as they moved past one another.

She smiled broadly. Her life was a warped fairytale, but she lived for the moments like this. Coming closer to him, she laughed as they picked up the pace. They'd danced this dance so much around the apartment that neither of them had to even think about the moves, it just came natural. Moving flawlessly around an open area of the rain drenched rooftop garden, neither of them realized the sun had gone down until they bumped into one of the patio lights and nearly knocked it over. Their dance came to an end as they both silently took in their surroundings. The flowers were obscured by the dark, but the various decorative lights submerged the garden in a beautiful sea of color. "I could get married in a place like this," she admitted absently, taking everything in.

Squall gaped at her in the darkness. Where had that come from?

She looked over, sensing his surprise. "I was just saying," she clarified. "It's so beautiful up here."

He nodded, noting that it had stopped raining. "I went to Deling to ask the General's permission to marry you," he admitted.

She looked over, clearly surprised by his admission. "…You did?" she asked quietly.

He nodded.

"…And then he punched you?" she frowned.

He smiled. "Something like that," he admitted.

She took this in quietly. After a moment of deliberation, she looked up at him. "You don't need his permission to marry me."

"I know," he told her. "I just know how close Zell is with his family…"

"Since when are you worried about being close to other people in your life?" she asked him, crossing her arms to ward off the cold.

"Since I've been with you and I realized what I was missing."

She brought her hands up to her mouth. He was serious, nothing in his expression or emotions suggested otherwise.

Just inside the open door, Selphie stood silently and recorded everything. She wasn't getting much audio, and now that the sun had gone down, she wasn't getting much video either. Turning it off, she frowned faintly. She needed to upgrade her camcorder. Lucky for her, she was in the right city to do so.


	4. Man to Man

Squall returned to the room he was sharing with Zell and Irvine and changed into some dry clothes. By the time he and Rinoa had come back inside, everyone had already gone to the dining hall; they thought they were being sneaky, but he knew better. Drying his hair with a towel, Squall took note of the room's condition. Zell had apparently already moved in, with his magazines and video tapes stacked neatly beside his cologne and his plethora of hair care products on the dresser. Pulling open a drawer just a bit, Squall wasn't surprised to see Zell's clothing folded neatly and put away. Squall spared a glance over at the closet. He was fairly certain that if he looked inside, he'd find the rest of Zell's wardrobe hanging up. If there was one thing you could never call Zell, it was disorganized.

Irvine, on the other hand, could live out of a travel bag. He'd done it during the war and he still did it today. The only reason Irvine's closet at Garden was even remotely presentable was because his poor cleaning and organization skills had driven Zell crazy—crazy enough that Zell had shown up to Irvine's room unannounced with a bag full of clothes hangers and cleaning supplies. As punishment for his sloppiness, Zell took every backpack, travel bag, and duffel bag he could find stashed away in Irvine's dorm. He then used them to help start a bonfire on the beach. Of course Irvine had just gone out and bought a replacement bag. It had, however, taken him over a month to save enough gil to do so.

Running a brush through his damp hair, Squall raised the flap of Irvine's leather travel bag with his foot. He remembered when Irvine had bought it. Selphie had been so upset he'd spent more on a bag than he had for her birthday. Sure, he might've over-paid by a few hundred gil to get the fancy leather inlay look, but even Squall had to admit that with all the compartments the bag had, it was extremely versatile and durable.

Leaving the bag where it lay, Squall walked back across the room and dropped his brush into his duffel bag. He kept his bag packed out of habit, enjoying the feeling of knowing he could leave in a moment's notice if he needed to. Running his fingers through his hair one last time, he stepped out into the hallway and started walking toward the sound of the gang's voices.

"Wait up!" Rinoa called after him.

He turned in time to see her catch up to him. She offered him a smile as she slid her arm through his. Her hair was pulled up and a few damp strands hung around her face. The neckline of her tank top sat a little low on her chest, making the rings she wore around her neck rest delicately against her pale skin. Squall offered her a small smile. Sure he was hungry, but she looked really pretty. She seemed to be sharing his line of thought because she gave him a knowing smile.

While they'd yet to become an overly intimate couple like he was certain Irvine imagined they were, Squall wouldn't deny that they did enjoy each other's company. He hesitated, sparing a glance back toward his room. He really needed to think about something besides how soft and unblemished her skin was. She'd gone through a war with him and she still looked like a perfect porcelain doll.

"We shouldn't go in there," Rinoa whispered, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Things might ….happen," she teased him by using Laguna's words against him.

Had she read his mind or was he just letting his feelings and emotions run unchecked? "Maybe I want things to happen," Squall spoke quietly.

Rinoa grinned, biting down on her bottom lip gently. Squall looked away, she was killing him. She watched him, amused. "They would notice our absence," she told him.

"They wouldn't if we didn't spend five minutes in the hall debating it," he whispered.

She tucked a few strands of hair back. "We need to go eat before our food gets cold."

He frowned faintly.

"You said yourself you were hungry earlier."

"I can wait a few more minutes."

She smiled. "I'm sure you can. But I don't like being hungry."

So it was okay for him to be hungry while they played in the rain but not her while they played back in one of the guest rooms? He sighed, making a show of looking put out but not really being surprised. "It's not fair," he said quietly as they resumed walking.

"Not fair?" she whispered. "Not fair is me getting to feel all of your …excited urges through our connection."

Squall avoided eye contact with her as they walked. His cheeks felt a little warm but he wasn't going to acknowledge it. "I'm sorry I haven't figured out how to block out my urges and emotions," he told her. "I promise to figure it out as soon as possible."

She pushed him playfully, her arm still tucked under his. "Don't you dare," she warned him. "I enjoy being able to understand a little of what is going on in your head."

Squall smiled just slightly as they stepped into the dining hall. At least she wasn't creeped out by him when she did get him aroused. He just had to make a mental note to never, ever, let Irvine convince him to look at any of his magazines. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain to Rinoa why he was excited and she wasn't there.

"Oh my gosh!" Rinoa gasped, covering her mouth before pulling away from him and rushing forward. Squall followed her, curious as to what she was so excited about. And then he saw it.

"We have cake!" Laguna practically sang as he gestured toward the middle of the table.

"Is this not the prettiest cake you've ever seen or what?!" Selphie asked as she bounced in her seat.

"Is this really for me?" Rinoa asked as she admired the purple and teal tiers adorned with delicate looking gum paste feathers.

"A little bird said it was your birthday," Laguna told her from his seat with a smile.

Rinoa smiled broadly, going over to Laguna and throwing her arms around his shoulders before going to Selphie and wrapping her in an exaggerated hug as well. Squall quietly sat down while the two girls bounced in their shared moment of joy. He wanted to be put out that he hadn't been the cause of Rinoa's joy, but he couldn't help but wonder what the effects of so much sugar was going to be on the girls if they were already so wound up.

After finishing supper, cutting into the cake, and following Laguna through the residential wing of the palace on a tour of things to do, the gang finally retired to their respective rooms.

"This cake is borderline sinful," Quistis commented as she closed her eyes and sat her fork on her plate.

"Quite possibly the best cake I've ever had in my life," Selphie agreed as she adjusted herself on the edge of her bed and took another bite of her piece.

"I can't believe Laguna did this for my birthday," Rinoa told them as she brushed Quistis's hair and started working on a braid.

"It was just a cake," Quistis smiled.

"A beautiful, amazing cake," Selphie smiled, bouncing a little as she ate.

Quistis watched her out of the corner of her eye. "Okay it was pretty amazing," she admitted, wondering just how much cake Selphie had actually consumed.

Rinoa was quiet as she worked on Quistis' braid. "If I didn't just know you told him, I would have expected Squall to tell him. You know, use me as a diversion so Laguna wouldn't be totally focused on him."

Quistis chuckled. "I could see that."

"Well either way, the cake turned out so much better than I ever would've imagined," Selphie smiled broadly. "Especially considering I told him yesterday."

"Oh wow," Rinoa smiled. "That was short notice for a cake that big."

"Well when you're the President of Esthar you can get things done," Quistis offered.

"This is seriously the best cake ever. I expect a cake like this for my next birthday. Seriously, don't let Irvy plan anything. Go straight to Laguna and tell him I want a big yellow cake with chocobos on it. No wait! Trains. Why not chocobos riding on trains?" Selphie grinned.

"Why not just have both?" Rinoa smiled.

"That works too. Just make sure Irvy doesn't plan it. He's kind of a tight-wad when it comes to spending gil."

Quistis grinned. "I can't believe you're still sore over that. He bought you a cute little pendant."

"Little being the operative word there," Selphie reminded her. "Hey Quisty, where did you disappear to after you finished eating?" she changed the subject.

"I sat with Ellone for a while," Quistis replied as Rinoa continued braiding her hair. "She didn't look like she was feeling well."

"Well she wasn't at the dinner table," Rinoa pointed out.

"Laguna said she'd been sick most of the week," Selphie said as she sat her empty plate aside and reached down to stroke Angelo's fur.

"She definitely looked it," Quistis assured her.

"So she's just been cooped up in her room all week?" Rinoa asked.

"She hasn't been alone," Quistis offered.

"Squall does complain he feels smothered by Laguna," Rinoa chuckled.

"It hasn't been him. It's been her white knight."

"Ellone has a white knight?" Selphie asked.

"…What's a white knight?" Rinoa asked, finishing Quistis's hair and giving her a mirror to look at it.

Quistis smiled at her reflection. "Apparently, he's the only White SeeD from the SeeD ship to survive the war," she informed them. "Ellone gave him the title when she realized he was alive. His survival was actually a fluke. The other SeeDs onboard thought that he and Ellone had grown too close so they ditched him at a harbor and told her that he'd been reassigned. He reported back to Garden, but wasn't reunited with her until after everything was over. He acts as her bodyguard here."

"Does he have a name?" Selphie asked.

"I believe its Jasper, but I'm not entirely sure how well Jasper and Laguna get along," Quistis admitted. "One man has been protecting Ellone for ten years, the other one wants to take over protecting her now to make up for lost time. Ellone admitted that she was relieved that Squall was here. She said he would distract Laguna and Jasper from questioning each other all the time."

"Well if all they do is question each other then I guess things aren't that bad," Rinoa stated, playing with the loose ends of Quistis's hair. "It isn't fair you have such pretty hair."

Quistis smiled. "Thanks."

"Do you think Ellone would like more company?" Selphie asked.

"Not tonight. When I left she was turning in for the evening."

"Oh," she pouted momentarily. "Oh well, maybe tomorrow."

"Tomorrow Zell and I are going to one of the science museums here," Quistis told her. "If Ellone is feeling well enough we're going to try to get her to come along. You guys should join us. I can't imagine what all will be in an Estharian science museum."

Selphie smiled. "I'd love to but can't. Irvy and I have plans tomorrow. We're meeting some friends and getting a tour of the city. Well…you know, a post-war tour. I'm going to grab a new camcorder while I'm out. I want to document everything."

Rinoa smiled. "I'm probably going to just hang out around the palace," she admitted. "Because you know Squall will go wherever I go and the whole purpose of this weekend is to get him to talk to his father more."

"You could always take Sir Laguna with you," Selphie grinned as she picked up the bedroom a bit.

Rinoa chuckled. "I'm sure that would go over well. He'd be this clumsy, intrusive chaperone, inadvertently making everything awkward and embarrassing Squall to the point of blushing."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Quistis laughed. "Just make sure to get lots of pictures of Squall's discomfort." Rinoa and Selphie laughed at the thought as they began tidying up their room and getting ready for bed.

Down the hall, Squall wasn't having nearly as much fun as Rinoa was. Despite Irvine and Zell's complaints, he laid awake on the little couch that sat closest to their open bedroom door and listened. Every now and then he might catch a muffled bit of laughter from the girls but that was it. The palace was very, very quiet. Regardless, he didn't trust a guard to try to pull something in the middle of the night so he lay awake, vigilant.

Across the room, Zell snored while Irvine stuffed a pillow over his head and rolled over to go back to sleep. Squall watched them quietly in the darkness. Clearly they didn't know how to have the same level of fun as the girls. They'd gone to their room, looked through weapon magazines, looked up what blacksmiths and gunsmiths they could find in the directory, and then debated whether or not Zell needed to lose the overbearing and annoying library girl. Irvine had been convinced that Zell could find a slightly less obsessive girl that would be alright with giving him the freedom to do his own thing. Squall, however, was sticking to his theory that the chances of finding another woman willing to put up with his annoyingness were slim to none, so he shouldn't be picky.

While his statement had gotten Zell worked up like he'd intended, Squall did start to wonder if he was overbearing towards Rinoa. Irvine definitely seemed to think so. He adjusted his pillow, crossing his arms over his chest as he let out a huff. His hair fell into his face and tickled his nose. He brushed it aside and closed his eyes. After everything they'd been through and the number of people that had tried to hurt all of them in the past year—had it been a year since they met? Almost. It had been eleven months, three weeks, and one—no, two—days.

He brushed his hair back again. It was getting long. Selphie was starting to joke that he was starting to look like Laguna. That was a scary thought. He furrowed his brow, staring at the dark ceiling. Where had the time gone? It was hard to believe that eight months had passed since he'd led the charge that took down the evil sorceress Ultimecia. Dreams of her still haunted his sleep sometimes. He understood why Seifer struggled to relax, he had a similar problem himself. The war had changed them both but Squall felt like he was the only one that couldn't get out of mercenary mode. He hoped Rinoa understood he wasn't trying to be controlling. Everything he did was out of fear. He wasn't afraid for himself. If he needed to, he could still survive on his own. He was afraid for her. He was afraid someone would try to hurt her, and in defending herself she might be burned at the stake or frozen for a century for using her powers.

Despite his attempts to stay awake, Squall eventually succumbed to sleep. He didn't wake until around dawn, but when he did, he woke with a start. Nearly tumbling off the couch, Squall found his feet and peered out of the bedroom door. Leaning against the doorframe, he closed his eyes and focused on Rinoa. From what he could feel through their connection, she was relaxed. She must've been sleeping. That put him at ease. Maybe everyone else was right, maybe he was still having a hard time adjusting to regular life.

While most of the residence wing seemed quiet, he could make out the sound of a Galbadian talk show playing down the hall. He stepped out into the hallway and followed the faint glow in the distance. His bare feet were soundless on the plush carpet as he came up behind Laguna on the couch. He couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. Squall stepped around the edge of the couch, startling Laguna.

"Holy Geezard!" Laguna exclaimed as he leapt up from the couch.

Squall watched him silently as he stumbled backwards and fell into the armchair next to the couch. "…Morning," he said, more amused than he was certain was socially appropriate.

"Good morning," Laguna said, moving a hand to his chest as he steadied his breathing. "H-have a seat," he smiled. "You scared me."

"I noticed," Squall replied, sparing a glance around before sitting on the couch.

A silence settled between them that was only interrupted by the laughter of the television show's audience. While Squall was enjoying the silence, it seemed to bother Laguna. He kept shifting around as if he were uncomfortable. "So the Estharian President watches Galbadian talk shows?"

Laguna turned it off and offered a sheepish shrug. "Estharian television isn't really that entertaining," he offered. He scooted forward a bit in his chair and shifted around. He was so fidgety that he was making Squall feel fidgety himself. Squall took interest in a dim little corner lamp that was currently the only light source in the room. For an Estharian residence, Laguna seemed to have gone out of his way to make it appear as Galbadian as possible.

"You look like your mother," Laguna said quietly. Squall continued staring at the lamp. What was he supposed to say to that? Expressing relief he wouldn't look like his father seemed inappropriate. Not that he cared, but he just didn't want to chance making the older man cry and then chancing things getting really awkward. "I don't blame you for not wanting anything to do with me," he offered. "I was never there, and compared to the people you're surrounded by, I probably come off as a blabbering fool."

Squall nodded. He wasn't too far off.

Laguna cleared his throat and looked down. "Anyway, um… Ellone's excited you're here," he said lamely. "Do you want a drink? I could use a drink."

"I don't drink," Squall stated.

Laguna paused before chuckling nervously. "I didn't mean that kind of drink. It's a little early...Not that I would blame you if you did," he mumbled.

Squall just stared at him. This conversation wasn't going very well.

"I have orange juice, tea, and some water. Breakfast should be ready in about an hour. Or I could have the kitchen send something up…"

Laguna was grasping at straws and Squall found it pathetic. "You abandoned her," he stated flatly.

"I… what?" Laguna asked, surprised by the accusation.

"Why bother marrying her if you were just going to leave her?" Squall pressed, still comfortably sitting on the couch.

"I didn't leave her. I went after Elle," Laguna told him.

"But you never went back."

"I sent Ellone back-"

"But not yourself," Squall continued pressing. "These people, this palace, were more important to you."

"That is not true!" Laguna defended himself.

"Then why weren't you there?" he challenged him, abruptly standing. Squall was certain he would've commanded more respect had he been wearing something other than cactuar pajama pants and a snarky Moomba t-shirt that Rinoa had packed for him that said, 'talk to the paw.'

"I was helping the people here…"

"You wonder why I don't like most people? It's because most people are just like you. They're never there when you need them. If you don't count on anyone you can't be let down when they put other people and other things before you."

Laguna looked down as he clenched his leg. He didn't really have an escape route from this conversation; Squall was between him and the only way out.

"I was raised in an orphanage," he stated. "Slept in a room full of other boys, and when it stormed I had to share my bed with Seifer because he was too afraid to sleep alone." Squall paused at that. It was almost as if he'd remembered that for the first time. Maybe refraining from using GFs was helping to restore his memory. "And Ellone?" he accused. "She grew up on a ship full of men."

"I get it! I get it! I was a lousy husband and father," Laguna conceded.

"I was adopted once," Squall told him, not moved by his confession.

"…You were?" Laguna asked. "You have an, adoptive mother and father?"

Squall wondered if the thought of that intimidated him. He hoped it did.

"For a while," he shrugged. "Pops was an accountant, Ma was a career hobbyist. She made stupid stuff with driftwood and shells to sell at Balamb's summer festival. They had another kid who was a brat and we didn't get along. They sent me back. Didn't like my bad attitude."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Laguna offered.

"It was the longest week and a half of my life. They were idiots anyway," he said, crossing his arms.

"But it wouldn't have happened had I went back to Winhill," Laguna said quietly.

Squall shrugged it off. He personally didn't want to imagine himself being raised to act like Laguna. He fought a shudder at the thought.

"You're right though. I could've taken her with me. I should've," he admitted. "But with her being pregnant we wouldn't have gotten far. Not with the war and all the monsters…." Laguna sighed, clearly frustrated. He didn't say anymore but Squall had already figured up all the conceivable outcomes to that scenario. "I know you don't think it, but I loved her," he told him. "I loved her and Ellone more than life itself. I don't need you assigning me blame for everything that's happened. I've been holding myself accountable for it for years.

"Kiros and Ward are both married," he told him. "Ward's been married for nearly seventeen years. Kiros did the live-in relationship thing for a few years first. They've both got families and everything. It sucks watching everything from the outside. …I tried to date once. But the first time I made the woman laugh, all I could think about was how much pain I'd caused Raine in the end. I couldn't allow myself to make anyone else happy after what I did to her."

Squall was quiet, oddly appeased by the thought of Laguna living miserable for the past eighteen years.

"I understand how you feel about Rinoa," Laguna's voice interrupted Squall's thoughts. "You're not exactly an emotional or social person. You're a little messed up upstairs," Laguna informed him.

Squall scowled.

"But in spite of that, you're serious about Rinoa. You're a lot more serious than most teenage boys are," he added. "Hell, you're more devoted than most adult men are. You went into space. Not just on a ship but like, jumped into space. And when you came back down you were willing to take on the Estharian Government to protect her. If I was half as good to Raine, she would've never died like she did."

"You're hardly a doctor," Squall offered, starting to feel a little bad.

"No but I could've held her hand 'til the end dammit," Laguna looked away. Squall could tell the older man was on the verge of tears. "And look at you," he gestured toward Squall.

Squall shifted a bit. With the waterworks going he wasn't entirely certain how to handle this situation.

"You're an adult now. We have absolutely no history, nothing in common...nothing. And yet here you are and I keep messing everything up every time we're in the same room. My problem is that I don't know how to treat you. The failed father in me wants to smother you like a super spoiled child and make up for the years I wasn't there, but the President in me just tells me to back off because we're both adults and are living separate lives."

Squall was quiet. To be completely honest, while he complained about Laguna's harassing phone calls and smothering habits, he did enjoy the attention a little bit. It was an attention he'd never had before. He blamed Rinoa's emotions for making him soft. "Just treat me as an adult," he stated.

"I can do that," Laguna responded.

Squall doubted he could but he nodded regardless. "Which means letting me and Rinoa live together without you making a fuss."

Laguna frowned.

"You let Kiros do it," he stated.

"I didn't say I didn't protest," Laguna said, grinning just slightly. Squall wasn't sure he could imagine it.

"We have a bond. A connection," Squall admitted, changing the subject a bit. He didn't need a repeat of yesterday. "She's a sorceress I'm her knight. I protect her and support her. I help her maintain her direction in life. We have a complex emotional bond. She can feel what I feel and I can feel what she feels. Sometimes it feels like I'm being bombarded by the flashes of emotion that course through her mind. We can't share thoughts or anything, but sometimes if we try hard enough it almost feels like we can share intentions."

Laguna nodded. "Odine mentioned a bond. I just thought that it was some sort of spell the sorceress would cast over her knight."

"You don't speak to Odine about Rinoa," Squall said sharply. "He cannot be trusted."

"He's a little crazy," Laguna conceded.

"He's a dirty, manipulative madman," Squall corrected him. "He cannot be trusted with anything."

Laguna nodded, not about to argue. "If you don't trust him, I'll make sure to keep him out of all of our affairs."

Squall nodded, smiling just faintly. The one good thing about Laguna was that he was sentimental.

"Do you really believe he'd still try to lock her up after all this time?" Laguna couldn't help but ask.

"That or run some kind of tests on her," he admitted.

Laguna frowned. "I won't allow him to do that."

"Neither will I," Squall stated. He'd already proven time and again he'd chance dying for her, and he doubted at this point that anyone would think he was bluffing. "I know you guys were watching us last night," Squall informed him.

"What?! Oh yeah I was just looking to see where you'd run off to. You can't just take off running and expect a fellow military man not to think something was wrong," Laguna said, playing it off.

"I saw Selphie's camcorder."

"You saw that?" he asked sheepishly.

"It didn't record our conversation did it?" Squall asked.

Laguna shook his head. "No. Why?"

"Because Rinoa proposed to me."


	5. Things that Shine

The silence was getting awkward. Squall was really starting to wish he'd left the cheesy talk show on. Of course it would help things if Laguna would stop gaping at him. Squall shifted his weight, loosely crossing his arms across his chest.

"What did you tell her?" Laguna asked for the third time.

"I told her I would," Squall answered. He didn't understand why he was making such a big deal about it.

"When?" he asked. "How soon? This is a big deal," Laguna continued rambling. "I need more coffee to have this conversation with you."

Squall blinked, watching as Laguna brushed past him. Was he supposed to follow? He was going to pass. Yawning, he started back towards the room he was sharing with Irvine and Zell.

"I'm not done talking to you," Laguna called out from the kitchen.

Squall made a face. Was this what it was like to have a parent? Was he getting lectured? Older people always lectured. This was going to grow annoying very quickly.

"Squall?"

Too tired to really protest and hoping to avoid having an audience later, Squall followed the sound of his voice. It was better to let Laguna say his piece before the others woke up anyway.

Laguna eyed him intently as he came into the spacious kitchen. "Squall, marriage is… marriage is a very serious thing."

"And being the Commander of Balamb Garden isn't?" Squall asked defensively. "I can handle responsibility."

"Oh I'm not saying you can't," Laguna assured him. "You're very responsible. I'm just saying that marriage requires a certain level of, emotional and personal…. maturity," he offered. "You need to know who you are and what your priorities are in life before you enter into vows with someone else."

"I know my priorities," Squall scowled. "Married or not I will live and die for her."

Laguna just stared at him, the early morning sunlight washing the kitchen in a warm glow. "That's a really serious statement for you to be making so young."

"I don't see where my age is relevant to this conversation," Squall dismissed him with a wave of his hand, growing frustrated. "She is a sorceress and I'm her knight. I've already taken on the obligation of protecting and supporting her. Whereas you married my mother, and then abandoned her for a leadership position in an uppity civilization without ever looking back."

Laguna stared at him as if he'd been hit in the stomach.

"For someone preaching the responsibility of marriage, you haven't practiced any of it. And the fact that you left her for a society of people, and not another woman, makes it even more of a betrayal on your part." Squall stood silently as he watched Laguna appear to be fumbling with the thoughts in his head. He crossed his arms over his snarky moomba shirt as the older man bent over to tend to, what he hoped was, a very severe muscle cramp.

"Squall I never meant for things to work out the way that they did," he told him. "But looking back, had I gone back she probably would've died the same way regardless. Like you said, I'm no doctor." Laguna leaned against the counter heavily, hand still trying to massage away his cramp. "But as bad as things might've been, if they hadn't have happened, then you wouldn't have been in the position you were to save the world."

Squall narrowed his eyes. "You're using the 'fate' card to excuse your failures?"

"What?! No! Squall! Dammit," Laguna sighed in exasperation.

"Because as the President of Esthar, you could have sent someone for her and brought her to Esthar. She could've seen a real doctor and not some hick town, back woods medicine man or under qualified midwife. Had you held up your part of the marriage, she wouldn't have died, Ellone wouldn't have grown up alone on a boat and I wouldn't have spent seventeen years of my life not knowing anything about my past."

Laguna didn't even bother with a response, his gaze down and his hair hanging in his face.

"And don't talk to me about fate," Squall stated. "I would like to think that my mother's role in life was more important than to be an incubator, meant only to live long enough to give birth to the leader of the Gang of Six that saved the world. She was more important than that. She was a very compassionate person, much more so than most people I come across through Garden… But even if I hadn't been there to lead the team, pretend for a moment that you did come back and you did raise me to be as clueless and oblivious as you are, I have faith that most of the SeeD in my Garden would've been able to have taken my place. Every SeeD is exceptionally trained. It was the team that was strong, not just me. By myself I am insignificant."

"No you're not," Laguna managed in a defeated tone. "You're one of the most important things in my life. Next to Ellone… well, you and Ellone."

"You're one to preach about priorities," Squall told him. "Raine should've been the most important thing in your life."

Laguna held up a hand in defeat. "Alright Squall. Dammit. Stop it already."

Squall watched him warily. He was feeling irritated enough he could continue to pile this guilt trip on for days. He knew what he wanted in life and Laguna's disapproval was frustrating. He didn't like being told no. "You're about as useless as General Caraway."

"I… what?" Laguna asked, pausing to think on it for a moment. "He told you that you couldn't marry her didn't he?"

Squall nodded. "Not that Rinoa cares about his opinion."

"That explains the shiner."

"Not really but close enough," Squall replied as he uncrossed his arms and rested his hands on his hips.

Laguna frowned. "Fury can be such a bully."

Squall shrugged it off. "I might've deserved it."

Laguna smiled just faintly. "Alright. Look, if you're really serious about this, and really serious about proceeding without her father being involved, the least you can do is give her an amazing ring."

It was Squall's turn to smile, even if it was thin and barely visible. Who knew lumping the bumbling president in with the obnoxious general would get him to change his tune so easily. He was going to have to remember that in case he needed to use it again later.

"And, as a matter of fact," Laguna smiled broadly. "I happen to know just the perfect place to buy an amazing ring."

Squall matched his smile, more of a bluff than a genuine gesture. He didn't really believe Laguna really meant to be helpful. This was either just a recommendation to appease his momentary guilt, or some kind of dare on Laguna's part. For the moment Laguna may have been going along with him, but Squall had a feeling Laguna was going to make this either as expensive or as difficult as possible. That was fine, Squall didn't mind the challenge.

"But first," Laguna interrupted his thoughts. "I have to know, did you lose a bet or something?" he grinned. "Because those are some nice jammies."

Squall looked down at his burgundy Moomba t-shirt and yellow cactuar pants. He started to play it off but the thought crossed his mind if he did the old man might actually start buying him clothing like this. "I'm being punished," he admitted with a shrug.

Laguna chuckled as he sipped his coffee. "Punished huh?"

Squall sighed. "Rinoa thought we were coming up here to visit you alone. I invited the others to come along without telling her. When she found out, she took most of the clothing I'd packed from my duffel bag and replaced it with random things she and… the girls had bought for me over the past year."

Laguna grinned broadly. "What other shirts do you have with you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh come on you're no fun," he smiled, offering Squall a cup of coffee.

"Oh I'm as fun as a sac full of grats," Squall assured him as he took the coffee. "I have the t-shirt to prove it."

Laguna grinned. "What color is it? I want one."

Squall shook his head. Laguna would. Squall was about to start out of the kitchen when Laguna interfered with his escape once again.

"Hey uh, Squall. There was something I wanted to talk to you about," Laguna offered, still holding onto his coffee. Squall looked him over a moment before nodding. "I know that, you and uh, Rinoa are living together at Garden," he told him.

"It isn't exactly common knowledge," Squall stated. "She has an apartment in her name on the first level but she stays with me."

"I bet," Laguna stated. "If her father had known back before she turned eighteen, he could've come after you."

Squall made a face. "He didn't even go after her when she was living on a train with a bunch of men in a resistance group," he stated.

"He might not have known."

Squall shrugged it off.

"It's a big deal," Laguna told him.

"What's a big deal? She's eighteen. She's an adult now."

"But you're not married. …Yet."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Squall asked, sipping his coffee for the first time. He fought a face. This wasn't coffee, this was coffee flavored water. He was used to his coffee being thick and strong like a rich, hazelnut sludge. Quistis needed to teach Laguna how to make coffee. He sat the cup aside quietly, wetting his lips and willing the weak taste off of his tongue.

"Yeah, I uh, I you know, you're an adult and she's an adult. You're both young ….adults. But you're living together in close quarters…"

Squall quirked an eyebrow. "Actually, as the Commander I have a three bedroom apartment. One bedroom is an office, the other is Rinoa's art room. The quarters aren't small at all."

Laguna rubbed his face and sighed.

"..What?" Squall asked.

Laguna shifted uncomfortably before deciding what to say next. "I'm talking about, you know…. sex," he blurted as he shifted uncomfortably.

Squall stared at him. How had this man honestly donated the necessary fluids for Raine to conceive him? Was it too late to demand another paternity test just to be certain Ellone and Kiros weren't feeding him a pack of lies? "…What?" he managed. He didn't want to talk about this with Laguna. He barely talked about it with the guys. But at least when he did talk about it with them, they made the subject sound more casual and fun. Laguna was an embarrassment to his gender. "I don't know that this is appropriate," he settled on.

"Well …yeah, that's the point," Laguna blurted. "I-I mean, she's a beautiful young lady but you need to make sure she's always treated that way."

Squall blinked. Was he still insisting they talk about sex? People usually dropped any subject when he questioned the appropriateness or importance of it.

"I know that the uh… that the um, temptation is there," Laguna offered, his face growing a bit flushed. "But um, you shouldn't give in," he offered, abandoning his coffee mug on the counter and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"It's too late for this talk," Squall stated dismissively. Did all teenagers end up having to go through this with their parents?

"I… It's never too late for this talk," Laguna told him. "One, you shouldn't be foolin' around if you're not married."

"We're not hurting anything," Squall frowned. "Not that it's any of your business."

"It's my business because I'm your father," Laguna stated.

Squall stepped back, recoiling. "Look, you said just half an hour ago that you were going to treat me—"

"Like an adult and not the child I never had," Laguna finished for him. "I know. That's why we're having this conversation. You didn't grow up with a father. You didn't grow up with a family. How are you supposed to know how to act as a father if I don't set some kind of example?"

"…Act as a father?"

"Yeah," Laguna shifted again. His body language was radiating awkwardness. "You know… if you get her pregnant? Reproduction is its actual purpose."

Squall made a face. Were they talking about him reproducing? He felt cornered like a first year cadet in the training hall restroom by a senior class bully. It was mortifying. Words failed him.

"Exactly!" Laguna gestured towards him. "She is a remarkable young woman," he assured Squall. "She's very intelligent and very big-hearted. And I have no doubt in my mind that she's crazy about you. …even if you are about as cuddly as well, a cactuar," he grinned, glancing down at Squall's pajama pants.

Squall looked away, his hair falling into his face. "Look," he started, even though he had no idea where he was taking the conversation.

"Tell me you are, at the very least, being safe," Laguna told him. "I'm not telling you what you can and can't do," he added a bit of emphasis. "But at the very least, tell me that until you two get to the point where you want children, there aren't going to be any accidental children."

"Sorceresses can't get pregnant," Squall informed him.

"…And you know this for a fact?" Laguna asked. He wanted grandchildren so it looked like he was going to be doing a lot of research after Squall left on Sunday.

Squall sighed. "There are entire courses dedicated to studying every known sorceress in history," he informed him. "Some have been tyrants and others have been guardians of their villages and homelands. But in all the texts we have to study, there is no mention of any of them having children. Occasional husbands but no children." Squall abandoned his history lesson to listen. The sun was coming up and he was starting to worry that someone might wake up and get to witness this horribly awkward conversation.

"No mention at all?" Laguna frowned.

Squall shook his head. "It would've been noteworthy if there was. Are powers passed down? Could a sorceress pass her powers to a daughter? Would she pass all of her powers or would they be divided between the two of them? Could sons act as carriers, unable to utilize the powers but capable of passing them on to a more suitable person? Or could they possibly just be born with elemental strengths or weaknesses influenced by their mother's strengths and weaknesses?"

Laguna just stared at him, fascination briefly flickering across his face. It was then Squall knew he'd struck a chord and derailed the conversation.

"Don't you dare consult Odine," Squall ordered him.

"I-I wasn't even thinking it," Laguna lied.

"Good," Squall said, watching him cautiously.

"But just because you haven't found proof of it happening, don't assume it can't," Laguna stated.

Squall groaned.

Laguna grinned. "Yeah, thought you had me sidetracked didn't you."

"I did," Squall admitted.

"Nice try," he smiled, punching Squall playfully in the shoulder. Squall couldn't help but grin just slightly. "But, suspending your little theory on sorceress fertility problems, pretending you're wrong, I think you and I can both agree that you are not ready to be a father."

Squall massaged his temple. At least no one else was up to overhear this conversation.

Meanwhile, in Deling, Caraway huffed in frustration as he plopped down in lounge chair in the study. He stared at the phone on the table, willing it to ring. In the background the ticking of the grandfather clock taunted him, calling out every second that the phone wasn't doing anything.

"You should give it up Fury," the maid's voice interrupted the silence.

How had she snuck up on him so easily? He looked over his shoulder at her. "She's not in Timber anymore, I'm sure of it. My intelligence placed her in Balamb but they've lost her. And the dragon ship has left Balamb Garden. I have my suspicions that she was on it."

The maid smiled faintly, leaning against the doorframe. "You two are more alike than either of you will ever admit."

He frowned. "We are not."

"You're stubborn as a mule," she pointed out. "Everything has to be your way. She's the same way."

"She takes after her mother," he replied.

"She looks like her mother maybe," she argued. "But she acts like you."

"Lavender," he groaned.

"Fury. She ran away to join a resistance group against your own army," she pointed out. "Few teenagers are that brash. …And that is coming from someone that was once a very wild teenager," she smiled.

"He wants to marry her," he stated, changing the subject.

"So let him," she replied.

Caraway looked at her as if she were mad. "Absolutely not."

"If you want any hope of getting her back into your life you will. Telling them no is only going to widen your divide with her and make them want to do it more," she informed him as she sat on his knee. "Consenting will smooth things over and at least give her your approval."

"But I don't want to give her my approval. She's too young."

"She's seen too much to be so young," she argued. "Why not give her a reason to let her celebrate something in her life?"

"They're both too young," he informed her. "And he's a mercenary."

"He doesn't seem like a bad kid," she offered. "A little socially awkward, but not a bad kid."

Caraway grumbled under his breath.

"Do you know what I think?" she asked as she trailed a finger along the collar of his shirt. "I think you're jealous of him."

"I am not," he frowned, standing and making her stand as well.

"I think you are," she stated, putting her hands on her hips with a knowing grin. "He makes her smile. When was the last time you made her smile Fury?"

He frowned, crossing his arms.

"Well?"

"..She was only a few years older than Azalea," he mumbled.

She nodded. "And what a travesty that is. Now, that'll give you something to think about while you're giving Azalea her bath," she stated as she handed him a rag.

"What?"

"Hurry up, I want her in bed before it gets too late," she warned him.

Out at one of the side entrances to the palace, Ellone dangled a thin turquoise scarf in the air, letting the breeze lift it up so that it danced around gently. Bouncing around her, Angelo barked excitedly. Rinoa smiled broadly as Angelo backed up, watching the scarf intently.

"She's in the zone now," Rinoa grinned, pulling her hair back with one hand. Angelo hunkered down and stared at the scarf, fixated. "Look at her eyes."

"It's serious now," Ellone smiled. She let go of the scarf and watched as it floated on the breeze. Angelo leapt up and caught the corner of it while the rest of it wrapped around her head and then blew over her back. Chasing it down, she pounced on it, grabbing it by the corner before bringing it back to Ellone.

"Good girl!" Rinoa clapped as Angelo sat and waited for Ellone to take the scarf.

Squall watched them quietly from his place just outside the door. Ellone seemed to be feeling better. It was going to be an innocent enough trip. Zell, Quistis, Ellone and Jasper were going to one of the science museums and Rinoa was going with them. It still took everything Squall had not to look visibly uncomfortable with the situation. He glanced back over at the girls as they continued playing with Angelo before looking over at Zell and Jasper. "Keep your eyes peeled," Squall said quietly. "Trust no one here."

"I already don't," Jasper assured him. "The President included," he admitted. "He puts too much trust in the intentions of people. He sees the good long before he sees the bad—if he ever sees the bad."

Squall nodded. He liked this guy already.

"Don't worry man," Zell assured him. "Rinoa will be safe with me. You've got my word."

Squall nodded again. "I appreciate it," he told him, his stomach in a knot. For just a moment, his eyes caught hers. Rinoa offered a reassuring smile to him as their transport showed up. Squall returned the smile but he still felt a little sick inside.

"Don't worry," Quistis said as she walked over. "You could trust us to handle ourselves when a war was going on, you can trust that we can visit a museum without incident." She smiled knowingly, squeezing his shoulder.

Squall frowned faintly and started to say something but she cut him off.

"You need to learn to relax. Demobilize a little, it'll do wonders for your anxiety level," Quistis smiled knowingly. "Trust me, I understand." Squall didn't dare argue with her. He'd seen the struggles Seifer had gone through when he first came back to Garden, and everyone knew Quistis had had a front row seat to his meltdowns and panic attacks. All he could do was humor her and offer her a nod. He was in Esthar, he'd relax when he was home in Balamb.

As he watched them climb aboard, Laguna slapped a hand down on his shoulder. He spun quickly, startled. He glared at the older man, words failing him. Laguna held up his hands. It was a submissive gesture but the big grin on his face screamed that it wasn't that sincere. With all of his friends and teammates already gone, Squall was certain Laguna had no idea how lucky he was that Squall had recognized him before he'd reacted.

"I scared you, you scared me, now we're even," Laguna teased.

Squall ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah," he mumbled as he looked away.

"Come on, I've got a lift waiting."

Deciding not to let Laguna focus on how jumpy he was for more than a block or two, Squall changed the subject of conversation to the varying modes of transportation in the country. Much as he'd expected, the conversation very quickly turned to Laguna sharing all of his traveling mishaps while trying to learn how to navigate the city. While it wasn't exactly the most stimulating topic of conversation, it was a topic that kept Laguna distracted and rambling. By the time their lift had descended upon a very expansive high rise mall that glistened in the sunlight, Laguna had finally stopped talking about the dozens of ways he'd gotten lost and created chaos in the shuttle lines with the other commuters.

Squall stood up after he did. Keeping a hand on the hilt of his gunblade, he stepped out onto the textured platform waiting just beyond the lift's door. Laguna spared a glance down at his weapon as he followed him.

"You know, that isn't really necessary," he offered. "I've got guards all over. They keep far enough back that they don't smother, but they're always in the background, watching. …You know, just in case."

"Just in case someone two feet away from you wants you dead," Squall muttered as he stepped past him. "Professional of them."

Laguna gave him a curious look. "The people here love me."

Squall watched as a few of the locals smiled and waved in their direction. "…So it would seem," he said under his breath. It was evident, for a society of such intelligent people, they were all insane for keeping the village idiot as their leader.

"Come on inside, I've got a friend you've got to meet."

"A friend?" Squall asked. "I thought we were going to buy Rinoa a ring."

"We are," Laguna smiled broadly. "Ivan has one of the most renowned jewelry shops in all of Esthar City."

"Ivan?" Squall questioned as he followed him inside skeptically.

"He also happens to be Ward's unofficial brother-in-law."

"Interesting," Squall said, dispassionately.

Laguna smiled, missing the tone in his voice. "His shop is this way," he said, navigating the throngs of shoppers. Squall followed closely, a bit surprised to see so many people. He'd been to the mall in Balamb and he'd been to the illustrious shopping district in Deling. However, he'd never seen so many shoppers converge in one shopping center without it being a holiday or super sale of some sort. He took a step closer to the rail and looked down at the levels below them. He silently started counting the levels he could make out. Clearly no one in Esthar was afraid of heights—or falling to their deaths. "Squall! Come on!" Laguna waved him over.

Squall looked over. Letting go of the rail, he closed the distance between them. He watched the nearest shoppers cautiously. They were all smiling at him. A few of them patted him on the shoulder as he walked past, a few others offered bows. It was disturbing to say the least. He understood why the people of Timber loved him. But the people in Esthar? He was going to fall back on his belief that they were all just crazy. Squall hastened his walk a bit, feeling more comfortable in Laguna's immediate presence.

"Come on," Laguna told him, sliding an arm around Squall's shoulders as he led him onto the showroom floor.

"Iz this who I think it iz!?" an excited voice echoed across the room. Squall looked over to his left, watching as a tall, blonde man approached them in a very fancy robe. He was no expert on the customs of the region, but the man's attire definitely suggested he was doing very well for himself.

"Sure is," Laguna smiled, withdrawing his arm from Squall's shoulders as Ivan bowed and then reached out to shake his hand. "This is my son Squall," Laguna beamed. Squall watched him. Laguna sure looked pleased to announce their relationship to the world. Squall however, was still planning on getting that secondary paternity test before he was going to publically announce their shared genetics. "Get's his good looks from his mother," Laguna continued, slapping Squall playfully on the back as Ivan bowed his head before him. "Squall, this is my good friend Ivan. Ivan, Squall needs you to hook him up with a beautiful engagement ring for his beautiful fiancée."

Squall looked over at Laguna. The man was practically beaming.

"Oh it vould be an honor!" Ivan gushed. "Squall Leonhard iz in my showroom!" he exclaimed. "Zis iz a glorious day!"

Squall made a face before casting a glance over at Laguna.

Laguna just snickered. "It's a cultural mispronunciation thing."

"Actually it's Leonhart," Squall corrected.

"My apologies!" Ivan continued to gush. "Ven ze news first broke zey vere calling you Leonhard and Leonhart and nobody seemed to know vich name vas correct! And even now vith zo many different dialects on ze continent, it iz still easy to get zem mixed up. My zincerest apologies!"

Squall managed a small nod. Leonhard… He was glad only Laguna and a handful of other Estharians were in the showroom to hear that. "I need an engagement ring," Squall tried to change the subject as he walked over to the nearest case and placed his palms on the edge of it to gaze inside.

"Oh yes! Over here are our finest rings," Ivan told him. Squall started over, noticing immediately that the rings in this case lacked price tags. That was comforting.

"How much are these?" he asked.

"Depends on vich one you want," Ivan stated. "Zis one iz a lovely delicate little piece. Zis one iz for a girl who likes people to take notice. Zis one is nine-zousand gil. Zat one over there is zeventy-five hundred."

Squall looked over his options quietly, seeing Laguna watching him out of the corner of his eye. "These are too boring," he told Ivan. "The ring needs to have more color."

Ivan looked around. "I have yellow gold," he offered.

Squall made a face. "No. No yellow gold. The stone, it needs to be blue," he told him. "She loves blue."

"Blue I can do!" Ivan assured him, going over to another display case.

Squall made another face, shaking his head. "No. A lighter blue. She loves light blue."

Ivan paused, clearly contemplating his options. "There are a few options. I have tinted diamonds in zat case," he told him. "But, I also happen to have blue topaz," he smiled. "Truly, naturally, vonderfully beautiful blue topaz," he said in a happy whisper. "It iz quite rare," he informed him. "Rare of course means expensive," he warned him.

Laguna smiled, listening intently to the conversation.

Squall noticed his interest and glanced around the showroom. "…And where would your blue topaz rings be?" he asked. He was onto Laguna. The old man was trying to intimidate him out of getting married with the ring.

"I only actually have one," Ivan admitted. "It iz not an engagement ring at all. But I do have some loose stones. I make custom jewelry. If you zee a ring style you like, I can zet a topaz stone in it for you."

"Can you do it before I leave?" Squall asked.

Ivan paused. "..I suppose. Usually my clients give me a few days notice."

"Well I really need the ring today," Squall told him. "It's important. I won't be in town long."

Ivan nodded. "Let me get you ze stones so you can see zem."

Squall nodded, watching as the taller man hurried back into a room behind the main counter.

"A custom ring? That's going to be expensive," Laguna informed him as he loosely crossed his arms.

"I can afford it," Squall said dismissively.

Laguna spared him a glance. "Oh? Is that so?"

Squall smiled just slightly. "It is," he assured him, walking over to meet Ivan at the counter when he came back out with a case in his hands.

"Alright," Ivan smiled, carefully opening the case between them. "I have a few different cuts here. I don't normally get requests for zis stone," he apologized.

"Do you have a princess cut?" Squall asked. His eyes scanned over the little stones on display. Their shapes and sizes all differed but to him it meant nothing. All he saw were little blue rocks.

"Zis one iz princess cut," Ivan informed him, carefully lifting one up. "It iz a very fine specimen, but it is very pricey," he warned him. "I don't believe you've told me vat your limit was."

"I didn't," Squall told him, eyeing the little stone under the bright lights in the showroom.

"Well if you want, zis iz a slightly cheaper stone," Ivan said, gesturing to a smaller topaz.

"It has to be princess cut," Squall said, pointing out the rock he wanted. "She'll understand the significance." Ivan nodded, keeping the one stone out while putting the others away. Squall looked through his showcases, not bothering to wait for him or Laguna. "Can you put it in this ring?" he asked. "Or one like it, with the accent diamonds on each side?"

Laguna was left in the background, watching as Ivan pulled out the ring and conversed with Squall over the details. He offered a small wave at another shopper who was watching them. When Squall finally came back to him, Laguna uncrossed his arms. "So what's the damage?"

"He'll set the stone in that ring and sell it for four grand," Squall smiled a bit triumphantly.

"Only four grand?" Laguna asked. "How I wish I had that kind of gil just lying around when I was your age."

Squall didn't reply to his comment. "He said it'll take him an hour and a half. We can watch if we want."

Laguna smiled. "That sounds fun," he nudged him. "While we watch, I can get Kiros on the phone and work out some of the fine details of your ceremony. He has the power to officiate the wedding," he informed him.

"..What?" Squall asked, looking over at him.

"Well you were in such a hurry, I was just thinking you wanted this to happen fast," Laguna said as innocently as he could.

Squall watched him as he started toward the office door Ivan was holding open for them. He grinned a bit mischievously. Laguna was trying to intimidate him. "Well Rinoa and I haven't worked out a specific date yet, but I do know she'd like it to be in the garden," he told him as he followed him inside. Ivan motioned for one of his employees to watch the store. Shutting the door, Ivan went back to a work station and sat down. "She thinks the garden looks perfect just the way it is right now. I don't know how long some of those flowers stay in bloom, but if any of them start dropping petals, it won't be the same," Squall continued behind closed doors as he sat and watched Laguna. Who was intimidating who now?

Laguna watched Ivan work in silence. Squall watched him watch Ivan. This wasn't the reaction he had been expecting at all. "I wish I could've given Raine the perfect wedding," Laguna said after a long few minutes. Squall watched him but didn't speak. "The people in Winhill hated me," he frowned. "They couldn't understand what on earth she saw in me. Anymore, especially after this morning, I don't even know what she saw in me. But she was crazy about me. I could see it in her eyes. They danced when she looked at me. I didn't deserve her," he said quietly. "The townsfolk knew it all along. She never had her perfect wedding because no one in town would ever marry us."

Squall started to speak but Laguna didn't give him the opportunity.

"That's why you're a Leonhart and not a Loire. That's why when she died, they shipped the two of you off as quickly as they could. With the aging population in the area, there weren't many people looking to adopt and if I came back soon enough they knew I'd take you both."

Squall scowled. "Why in the world do you spend the gil to help protect that place?"

"Because Raine loved it," Laguna answered simply. "She loved the countryside and the fields of flowers in the spring. I think she would've left if I'd pressured her to, but to be honest, I don't know if I could've lived with myself if I'd taken her away from her home. I think she always had faith that the hearts of the locals would change. Guess I thought that eventually they would too."

Squall's scowl only deepened into a frown. He didn't press the issue, dwelling on this new bit of information. Clearly Raine's tombstone must've been something Laguna had done after the fact. Not that he was going to bring that up here. Glancing up, he was surprised to see Ivan staring at them, looking as if he were on the verge of tears.

"Ze ring iz ready," he offered quietly.

Meanwhile, stepping out of Ivan's showroom and slipping into the throngs of shoppers, a Galbadian spy wore his robes in heavy layers to blend in with most of the Esthar City population. He passed right beside Laguna's posted guards while admiring a bracelet he'd purchased in Ivan's jewelry shop. Once he was in the clear, he tucked it away in his pocket and slipped out the nearest exit. Coming out onto a rooftop parking lot, he pulled out a small radio, and adjusted the antenna on it. "The Carbuncle has purchased a ring for the Princess," he said quietly as he stepped between two larger vehicles. "The party's at Garden."


	6. Revelations

The Estharian night lights illuminated the skyscrapers in an iridescent glow, making them look like mammoth crystals protruding into the sapphire sky. The beauty of course, was lost on Squall as his eyes drifted downward, beyond the track of the lift system and down to the brightly illuminated city streets below. Lost in thought, he watched the taillights of the vehicles as they snaked their way between the bases of the tall buildings. His mind was distracted, drawing the parallels between Esthar and Winhill, Timber and Winhill, and even Deling and Winhill. He was caught up in trying to find another city Laguna had been to that rivaled the level of inappropriate oppressiveness that the people of Winhill had apparently shown themselves to possess. Not even the residents of that secluded little Centran coastal town, they'd discovered during the war, had been as close-minded and obtuse as the people in Winhill had proven themselves to be. He couldn't help but wonder if Laguna would have written about Winhill as romantically as he did, had he known the true depth of the hatred the people there had for him.

The story that Laguna had revealed to him during the stone setting had caught him completely off-guard and had made the ride back to the palace very uncomfortable. If they weren't quarreling over Winhill, they were trapped in a very tense and emotionally-charged silence. Squall was in such a sour mood that he didn't even get a bit of joy out of the debilitating leg cramp that Laguna had fallen victim to a few blocks from the palace. Laguna's story had sullied everything Squall had once believed about the town of Winhill. It wasn't that he had any real fondness for the place; Winhill would always be a backwoods hick town with no future in his mind. But it had at least been the beloved home of his mother, and supposedly, the people there had loved her as much as she'd loved the town. Just that simple assumption had been enough for Squall to view the small town with a slightly higher regard, until now. It angered Squall that the town had denied his mother the ability to marry. It was something so simple yet so important. He knew Rinoa was very excited about their wedding and he didn't want to imagine how crushing it must've felt for his mother to have been denied it; all because she'd wanted to marry his father.

It was unfair; not that Squall really cared about all the unfairness in the world. He understood that it was just the way things were, but this involved his mother. As a child, he hadn't known anything about his family history, and had fabricated a story of how things had been before everything had gone wrong. He'd imagined what his parents looked like and what kind of people they had been, especially his mother. Even though he'd never met her, in his mind they would've to have been very close had they had the chance to be. While Edea had tried to fill that maternal role, Squall knew that it wasn't really the same as having an actual mother around.

But Laguna's story had ruined the make-believe family he'd made up when he was little. It left his childhood memories, whatever few of them he could still remember, feeling tarnished and corrupted. No matter how Squall attempted to look at the situation, it all came down to the perfect, angelic mother he'd always imagined living an unfairly, prejudiced existence because she'd made one mistake: falling in love with his bumbling moron of a father. Sure Laguna was an embarrassing idiot most of the time, but he was definitely not what Squall would categorize as a bad guy. He was definitely not so bad that it warranted Raine having to have an unofficial ceremony under the guise of darkness, with no one but one of his father's sidekicks as a witness.

There was enough evil in the world. Growing up in a Garden, he'd studied nothing but the world's history of war and power and the corruption of men. To be good a mercenary he needed to understand how and why dictators and oppressors did the things they did. Being prepared for whatever kind of adversary he was hired to defend against, fit in with Garden's belief that a good SeeD should be prepared for any situation that should arise. To think that someone as good-natured as his mother, had been punished because of the petty prejudices held by the elderly curmudgeons running the town, went right through Squall. It was insignificant when compared to all the more important things going on in the world. She was just one woman who happened to fall in love with an idiot. If those were the kind of issues the leadership of the town focused on, it was no wonder that the younger people had left Winhill in droves. Squall felt that the elderly population deserved whatever became of them as reparation for their callousness they'd shown. Was he a little bitter? Possibly. Did he care? No. This conclusion on Squall's part had led to a barrage of questions and accusations the entire ride home. Laguna, for the most part, had managed to defend the gil he'd allocated to helping keep Winhill safe from monsters but it still upset Squall. Laguna's financial aid had become an almost contemptuous topic between the two of them, and Squall couldn't let it go.

Despite all this, Squall figured he at least owed Ellone some kind of thank you for the things she'd shown him throughout the war. While she'd had some of the absolute worst timing, the things she'd shown him had changed his life. She'd carefully chosen the things she wanted him to see, while shielding him from the unpleasant things that she didn't want him to find out about. Ellone had always been the one person in the world who had always been there to try to protect him, even if he didn't realize it. She'd wanted him to see that his parents really were as good as he'd imagined them as a child. He appreciated it more than he knew how to express.

"- just don't want you to be so upset over this," Laguna's voice continued. His thoughts interrupted, Squall glanced up as the lift stopped outside the palace. Clearly, he'd gotten so tired of Laguna's excuses that he'd tuned him out. "The people that gave your Mom and me such a hard time, they're all old buzzards now. Well, the ones of them that aren't dead. There are lots of other people still living there that haven't done anything wrong. I'm trying to protect the town that Raine loved. If a few of the short-sighted jerks that hated me are still living there, lucky them. But the town will be there long after they're gone and that's what's important to me."

Squall stepped off of the lift. "Whatever," he said dismissively. "You're overcompensating for your own guilt and they're reaping the benefits."

Laguna frowned. "There are still children there," he stated. "Children that play in that town square just like Ellone did when she was little. Those children deserve to be protected. I don't have to be the one to do it, but I want to be. The elders don't matter. Your mother would've understood that."

Squall spared a glance over at the door where he saw Rinoa peering out. "Well I wouldn't know. I never got the chance to meet her," he told him as he crossed his arms.

Laguna sighed and settled for patting him on the shoulder before starting towards the door. Squall gazed out at the city beyond the palace until he was sure Laguna was a few feet away. Slowly turning his head, he watched as he went inside. Their outing had ended on a rather upsetting note.

Rinoa stepped outside after Laguna went in. Lightly clasping her hands in front of her, she strolled over, watching Squall curiously. "..I'm not really sure how to read the past ten or so minutes between the two of you," she admitted. "You were really upset there for a while but Laguna offered me a big smile when he went inside. You two didn't get into an argument did you?"

Squall offered her a smile. "No," he told her. "It's nothing."

Rinoa gave him a look.

He was quiet for a moment, "I just learned some things I wasn't really happy about."

"Oh? Was it really bad?" she asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now," he replied dryly as they walked towards the door.

"Oh, okay," she frowned, her bangs falling into her face a bit.

"But the trip wasn't totally unbearable," he offered.

"It wasn't?" she asked, surprised. To be fair she had no idea what they'd even gone off to do. She'd just hoped that it had gone well.

"Surprisingly," he admitted.

"So where did you two go?" she asked. "You were gone a really long time. The kitchen staff already fixed the rest of us supper."

"We went shopping. He introduced me to a friend of his."

"You went shopping?" she asked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows. "I can't ever get you to go-"

"It was for a ring not clothes," he addressed her argument quickly.

She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped. "You bought me a ring?"

Squall paused, wetting his lips. "I, well…. No, not exactly."

Her heart fell into her stomach and he could feel the disappointment shoot across to his side of the sorceress-knight connection. "..Oh," she managed, flattening her shirt a bit and awkwardly wrapping her arms around herself. "Well, what kind of ring were you shopping for?" she asked. "You know Zell is into that kind of stuff," she reminded him with as steady of a voice as she could muster.

Squall watched her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Correct that, she was already crying. "Rinoa don't cry," he told her, pulling out the ring box and opening it for her. "I didn't want Zell making this ring for you," he told her. "And I didn't want him making the bands to go with it either. But don't repeat that to him, I'm sure he'll find some way to take offense to it."

Rinoa stared quietly at the ring in his hand. Even with the exterior palace lights being the only illumination around them, the ring still seemed to sparkle. She held up her hand. "Put it on," she told him, holding her hand out expectantly.

Squall watched her, trying to read her emotions but she was guarding them very effectively. Eventually, he hoped to be able to do the same. He was fairly certain his thoughts were still his own, but his exposed emotions sometimes felt like a privacy breach. Hopefully, with time and practice, he'd figure out how to hide his emotions from her; assuming he could of course. For all he knew, her powers might not even allow it.

Shoving that uncomfortable thought aside, he dropped down to a knee and took the delicate little ring from its resting spot. He slowly slid it up past both of her knuckles and then adjusted it on her ring finger. He watched as she admired it in the dim light. A wave of excitement inundated their link as she dropped the guard she had up between them. Her cheeks still bore the pink hue from where she'd gotten upset but he could see and feel how happy she was. Slowly standing, he leaned in to kiss her. She responded by swatting him—twice.

"You are such a meanie!" she cried as she swatted him a third time. "You made me cry!"

He honestly couldn't tell if she was sobbing or laughing. Even the emotions she was flooding their link with were a bit jumbled and confusing.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" her voice squeaked a little as she pushed him back a step. "I am seriously crying and I can't stop," her squeaky voice grew more high-pitched as she succumbed to the sobs and let them take over her.

Squall stood there quietly. He didn't know how many times he'd heard other guys talk about how they wished they could understand what went through their women's minds. He could however say with the utmost certainty, that if any of those guys were ever given a glimpse of what Rinoa exposed him to, they would be even more dumbfounded than they had been to begin with. Women were complicated and irrational. He stood there rather lamely, as he tried to decide what he was supposed to do.

Rinoa wiped her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "When I'm crying you're supposed to comfort me," she informed him. "Give me a hug at the very least." He observed her for a moment, and only after a slight twinge of a grin crossed her lips did he step towards her. She smiled as she wrapped him in an exaggerated hug. He closed his eyes, sliding a hand up her back until it brushed the tips of her hair.

"Do you like it?" he asked quietly. He wasn't certain what kind of response he'd expected from her, but it certainly hadn't been the one he'd gotten.

"I love it. It's perfect," she whispered as she squeezed him a little more tightly.

"It's a princess cut," he pointed out.

"That detail did not escape me," she smiled broadly as she pulled away from him and brushed back her bangs. "The girls are going to love that little detail. Just wait til Selphie tells Irvine," she teased.

Squall shook his head. "You say want me to make friends but yet you sabotage the friendships I manage to obtain. Eventually he's going to stop talking to me."

"Oh he will not. He's too big of a softie," she smiled, taking his hand as they stepped inside. "Did you and Laguna stop for supper before coming back?"

"No," he made a face. "We pretty much came straight back after the jewelry store. Things got awkward."

She frowned. "For a pair of guys, you two are too complicated. You're both nice guys, I don't understand why you can't just get along?" He wanted to laugh at her suggestion that he and Laguna were complicated but he didn't.

"We are getting along," he informed her as he made an abrupt right for the kitchen and tugging her gently as he walked. She smiled as she trotted to catch up to him. Tightening her hold on his hand, she pulled him playfully towards her.

"What I felt earlier was anger and distress. That is not getting along Squall."

"We've come to some agreements. We understand each other," he offered.

"Oh?" she asked.

"But it is a little complicated," he admitted.

She poked him teasingly in the side with her free hand. He twisted away with a smile.

Arriving in the kitchen, he looked around for a plate. Finding one, he began digging food out of the refrigerator. A member of the kitchen staff rushed over to heat up the food for him. Rinoa watched as she hopped up on a stool to wait on him, intending on telling him all about her trip to the museum whether he wanted to hear it or not. Then, she was going to get him to open up to her about what had been bothering him so badly on the ride back.

Down the hall in the guys' room, Irvine, Jasper, and Zell sat surrounded by bowls of junk food and open drink containers. The lights were out and the big screen on the far wall illuminated the room with a strobe effect. Irvine sat on the floor, using an ottoman as an arm rest while he worked to open a camera box. He paused long enough to take a drink and then set it aside. Watching the movie distractedly, he spared a glance every now and then to the carnage that was unfolding before them.

Zell meanwhile, sat on the short sofa with Jasper, his hand resting on the rim of a large bowl of buttered popcorn. His eyes never left the screen as he brought a handful of popcorn up to his mouth and shoved it inside. "One of the best parts is almost here," he assured Jasper as he chewed his mouthful of popcorn. With his other hand, he reached over and grabbed his drink.

Beside him, Jasper spared him a quick glance before returning his attention to the movie. He'd been silent the entire movie, taking as many notes as he could. "…Are all zombies like this?" he asked, leaning forward a bit.

"What about 'em?" Zell asked, going in for more popcorn.

"Zombies. Are they all this… grotesque and scent driven? How else do they keep finding those people?"

"The girls screaming probably isn't helping their stealth abilities," Zell shrugged it off before finishing his drink. He made a face as he looked down in the bottom of the bottle.

Jasper continued watching the movie uneasily.

"…Dude, it's just a movie," Zell informed him.

"Yeah I know," Jasper played it off. Of the few movies he'd seen since he'd left the ship, none of them had been remotely like this. "I just…real life zombies, what are they like? Not like …this? Right?"

Zell laughed. "Zombies aren't real. Well, zombies like that aren't real."

"But they are real," he replied, looking for the confirmation.

Zell reached over and paused the movie. "It's a status thing," he told him. "You have to get a zombie spell cast on you."

"But is it like that?" Jasper pressed.

Zell and Irvine exchanged momentary glances. It was becoming clear that the years spent on the SeeD Ship had left Jasper a bit naïve to certain things in the world much like it had Ellone. They needed to get him out more.

"Well your skin does turn a sickly green color," Irvine admitted.

"And you get like, really resistant to physical attacks. It makes you like a tank. It's disorienting to say the least," Zell offered.

"You've been zombified?" Jasper asked in awe.

"Only briefly," Zell informed him. "It's easily cured if you have the right magic on hand."

"Or holy water," Irvine chuckled. Zell scowled over at him. His reaction only made Irvine grin more broadly. "Green. The putrid color green it turned you, looked horrible on you man," he teased. "And those black eyes were pretty freakish."

"I didn't look freakish," Zell dismissed him.

"You looked freakish man. There was no blood or open sores and he didn't try to eat any of us… although to be honest, considering how much he eats normally, I was really surprised," Irvine continued teasing him as Jasper cracked a small grin.

Zell grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at Irvine.

"Dousing him in holy water was so hilarious. He was all green and his bright blonde hair was hanging in his dark, lifeless eyes," Irvine laughed. "The girls were freaking out."

"Was this during the mission? Where was Squall?" Jasper asked.

"I was pitching my recommendations to Quistis that we leave him that way," Squall replied from the doorway.

"Seriously?" Zell frowned as he spun around in his seat. "You guys are asses!"

Squall shrugged it off as he came into the room. "You were quieter as a zombie. Aside from the groans and grunting," he smiled a little smugly. "But like he said, it freaked the girls out. Even Quistis was a bit rattled."

Zell crossed his arms in a huff. "I hate you both."

Irvine grinned as he leaned forward and took the remote. "No you don't," he said as he pushed play. "But to answer your question Jay, no. Real life zombies aren't like this."

Jasper managed a slight nod. He was relieved because the movie was freaking him out— not that he'd admit it. "Well spending most of your life on a wooden boat will kind of kind of keep you ignorant to some things," he mumbled in defense of his uneasiness.

Squall nodded as he pulled out his wallet and placed it on the oversized dresser. He paused momentarily to adjust his ring on his finger and then removed his gunblade from his hip. Without a word, he carefully placed the luminescent blue blade in its case. Pulling out a cleaning cloth, from a pocket in the case, he gently wiped away a smudge before replacing the cloth and closing the case.

"Now that that routine is over with," Irvine teased. "How was your trip into the city with Laguna? We were starting to consider launching a rescue mission."

"I didn't need rescue," Squall assured him as he removed his gunblade support belts and then began removing his boots.

"Not for you, for Laguna," Irvine grinned.

Squall looked up at him, some of his chestnut hair falling into his face. He didn't dignify that statement with a reply. Neatly placing his boots beside the chair, he sat down and leaned into the plush backing of his seat.

"So what were you two doing all this time?" Zell asked. "You missed supper."

"Ring shopping," Squall responded, absently watching the zombie hoard on the television screen. The volume was turned down but Zell had watched this movie so many times around him that Squall nearly had the entire thing memorized.

The movie was paused again.

"What kind of ring shopping?!" Zell asked.

"What kind of ring do you think?" Irvine countered as he sat the camera aside and hooked the battery up to the charger that came with it. "Let's see it," he told Squall with a broad grin.

"I don't have it," Squall replied. He tried twice to move his hair out of his face with a toss of his head but had to resign himself to actually tucking it behind his ear with his free hand. He needed a haircut.

"Did you buy anything?" Irvine asked him. "There's a place down on Seaside in Balamb that has a pretty nice selection."

Zell looked over at Irvine as if he were crazy. "Are you kidding me?! Am I the only one here not looking to get married before I'm twenty?" He realized Jasper was still sitting next to him and threw his arm around his shoulders. "Are Jay and I the only two here not looking to get married before we're twenty?!"

Jasper looked down at Zell's hand on his shoulder and gently lifted it up and moved it off.

Zell threw up his hands. "Sorry man, I thought we were buds. I didn't realize you'd take offense."

"I didn't," Jasper assured him. "But first off, I'm twenty-two already. And second, Ellone and I are planning on getting married just as soon as we can figure out how to gently break it to Laguna."

Squall sat up, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"You're what?!" Zell exclaimed.


	7. Princess with a Plan

Irvine moved up from the floor to sit on the edge of the ottoman beside him. He grinned broadly as he tossed his ponytail over his shoulder and locked his gaze on Jasper. "So you two are basically engaged?" he asked as he spared a quick glance over at Squall.

Zell also looked over as he waited for some kind of protest.

Squall just returned their gazes. What? Was he supposed to get upset over this? It didn't take a genius to pick up on the fact that Ellone and Jasper were a pair. He still considered himself fairly oblivious to a lot of things when it came to relationships, but even he had already figured this out. He wouldn't have been surprised if Kiros and Ward had also known about it, but had just conveniently forgotten to tell Laguna. The thought made him grin slightly.

The grin apparently made Zell think he was amused by him because he turned his attention back towards Irvine and Jasper with a huff. "Unless he's actually popped the question and given her a ring it doesn't count," Zell stated.

"Sure it does," Squall spoke up. The three other men in the room all looked over at him. Squall shifted in his seat before tucking his hair back again and trying to play it off like he hadn't just said what he was thinking aloud.

"No it doesn't," Zell stated. "Or else like, half of the teenage kids back in Balamb would run around thinking they were engaged because they were so in love with their boyfriends and girlfriends, and that they were going to be together for forever."

Jasper sat quietly on the sofa, feeling a slight bit uncomfortable and definitely looking it.

"You're really taking this personal," Irvine pointed out.

"Of course I am, it's Ellone. She's our Sis." Zell looked over at Squall. "What I don't understand is why he isn't upset over this."

Squall raised an eyebrow and ignored the strand of hair that fell into his face. He gave up on making it stay put. With a bit of prodding on Rinoa's part, he had eventually told her about everything he'd learned during the stone setting at the mall. With the story still fresh in his mind and her response to it still ringing in his ears, he found that he really couldn't find any fault in Jasper and Ellone wanting to get married. A ring was just a ring. If it became lost or broken, it didn't mean the marriage was suddenly voided. It was purely decoration. What mattered was the level of devotion two people had for one another. And much like he would never question the sincerity of his mother's devotion to Laguna, he wasn't about to question the level of devotion between Ellone and far, the two seemed to get along and complement each other very well. "Maybe because I don't invest that much importance in material things," Squall offered.

"Coming from the guy who once threatened me for swiping his chain while he was in the shower?" Zell frowned.

"Like my ring, that pendant is one of only a few items that were left with me at the orphanage," Squall clarified. "An engagement ring is just a gift you give a girl so she can show it off to her friends. It's just a physical item that's supposed to represent your love or …whatever," he made a face. He was not going to get into a conversation with them about emotions. "The emotional connection should already be there before the ring ever comes into play. The intent is already there. My chain and pendant were my mother's," Squall informed Zell. "They're part of my heritage, irreplaceable. It's not even comparable."

"So is Rinoa ever going to find out that the engagement ring you're going to give her means nothing to you and is nothing but a shiny showpiece for her friends to swoon over?" Zell asked.

"She already does," he shrugged it off as he leaned back and got comfortable in his chair.

"You gave her a ring already?" Irvine asked as he sat up a bit straighter.

Squall frowned. He knew this conversation was coming whether he wanted it or not. He could ignore their questions but he knew they'd just pester him until he eventually talked. "I bought a ring while Laguna and I were out. I gave it to her when we came back here." He sighed. "I don't have to explain anything. I was leader of our mission, I've been running Garden affairs for eight months, I'm capable of running my own life. I don't need to justify the seriousness of my relationship with Rinoa."

"No, that you don't. We all pretty much understand just how serious you are," Irvine teased. His comment made Jasper laugh, even though he tried to pretend he hadn't.

Zell remained quiet and settled for crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the back of the couch. "You'll have to ignore the sourpuss over there. He and his crazy girlfriend had a fight and broke up over the phone while you were out shopping with Daddy."

Both Squall and Zell grimaced but for different reasons. "Don't ever call him that again," Squall glared.

"And she isn't crazy," Zell said quietly. "...not entirely."

"Do you want to tell the real story or should I?" Irvine asked him.

"I don't care," Squall shrugged it off. The last thing he wanted to hear were tales about Zell's relationship woes.

"Oh you'll care," Irvine smiled. "He'll care," he gestured over at Jasper.

"Okay you know what? Maybe I just don't want any of you having any kinds of regrets when you're like, twenty-five, divorced and only getting to play daddy to your kids on the weekend!" Zell exclaimed as he bounced up off the couch and stood in the middle of the room.

"Hey, it's okay, we know you care about us," Irvine told him. "But all of this right now, this is the heartbreak talking."

"Look, she didn't break up with me, I broke up with her," Zell set the record straight. "…I didn't want to, but I did."

"That doesn't mean there isn't heartbreak," Irvine stated.

"If he loved her why would he–" Jasper started to ask.

"Because she was crazy," Irvine told him.

"She was not," Zell said defensively. "She was just a little too …obsessed with me."

"She controlled everything," Irvine assured everyone in the room. "We're talking what he ate, when he ate, who he ate with. What he did on his free time, where he went when he was off base… Quistis told me she got mad when you volunteered for that Centra mission last winter."

"Well yeah but it was because she had plans and wanted to do something with me," Zell defended.

"But she always has plans for everything," Irvine reminded him. "Like in February when nobody saw you for like, two weeks, where were you?"

"Visiting her family in Dollet."

"For two weeks," Irvine reminded him. "But yet what happened when she found out you were coming up here with Squall, to see his family? I mean, we're all buds at this point, we're like brothers. One's family should be everyone's family. Your Ma's basically adopted all of us."

Zell looked down at his sneakers.

"Tell them what happened when Ami found out you were going to Esthar."

"...She got mad when she found out I was coming up here with you guys," Zell admitted in a shamed mumble. "I told her I didn't care. And then I told her that I agreed with Ma in that I had the implied obligation as Squall's friend to run interference if Laguna got too clingy or sappy. Then Ami got mad because I was taking Ma's opinion over hers and doing what Ma wanted me to do instead of her."

Irvine adjusted himself on the ottoman and settled in with a smile. He knew exactly where this was going.

"And so I told her that I almost always did what she wanted, but that my Ma would always come first because she was my Ma, and she took me in despite not having to. She chose to adopt me over all of you guys at that orphanage. Well, not you," he gestured to Jasper. "But these two. And then Ami got defensive, and started going on about how she would never be able to hold a candle to Ma, because she couldn't compete with my adoption story. And the more she complained, the more I realized she was jealous that I was so close to Ma. You guys know me pretty well. You know me well enough to know that I'm always going to be close to Ma. There is no one in this world that is going to change that. So the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I didn't do something, I was going to have to put up with Ami complaining about Ma for the rest of my life."

"So you broke up with her," Squall stated as he tried to imagine the little library girl being an obsessive control freak behind her cute and cool exterior. He did recall hearing about her coming down pretty harshly on a cadet who had intentionally messed up her card catalog. Why it was important to her he didn't know. The catalog was really just an antiquated concept. Every book was registered on the computer system. The catalog was really just for decoration. Not that it was really a good comparison to what Zell was talking about. Although it probably wouldn't hurt to have Quistis or Xu check to make sure that that cadet hadn't been unfairly fined or charged for books he didn't check out.

"She was always so afraid I'd hold someone else's opinion above hers. I just thought it was a self-esteem thing, like she didn't want to look like an idiot or something. I should've listened to Ma. Ma had been trying to warn me since the first time she'd met Ami," he frowned as his expression darkened.

Irvine refrained from saying anything, waiting to see just how long Zell would keep talking on the subject.

"Alright," Jasper cleared his throat. A change in conversation was definitely needed. "So no more talk about relationships. It was… getting kind of girly in here anyway," he dismissed the conversation with a wave of his hand as he stood.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Irvine asked.

Squall remained silent. Maybe if he didn't make a move or a noise they might forget he was in the room with them. He'd slept poorlyon the couch last night and the bed had been beckoning to him the entire time Zell had been rambling on about his crazy ex-girlfriend.

"Well, for starters there's a pretty nice gym over in the recreation wing," Jasper offered.

"Or if that's not appealing, there is a huge pool over there too. We could swim or play volleyball."

"I'm not really much of a swimmer," Irvine declined.

"Tough. After the afternoon I've had I could really go for some volleyball. And Squall and I are going to show you how it's done," Zell proclaimed as he placed his hands on his hips.

Squall stood. "I don't think so," he told him.

"What? Come on!"

"…." Squall wondered why they even followed him everywhere since they clearly didn't have that many interests in common.

Zell frowned. "Fine. I didn't want to be on your team anyway," he said as he slapped a hand down on Jasper's shoulder. "I just didn't want you to be intimidated by the fact that I had a new best friend."

Jasper looked over at him. "Best friend?" he asked.

Zell offered a lazy shrug. "You laugh at my jokes. The bar's set kind of low," he admitted.

"I'll still accept the title," Jasper said with a grin.

Down the hall, in another of Laguna's guest bedrooms, the girls sat crowded around Rinoa on a small sofa. Ellone held her hand and turned it to the side, admiring the dainty white band and the blue stone that adorned it. Sitting on the sofa's arms, both Quistis and Selphie leaned in toward Rinoa get a good look at the ring as well.

"It's so shiny," Selphie smiled broadly.

"It's beautiful," Quistis commented as she pulled her hair back to keep it out of her face. "I really like the color of the stone. What is it? Do diamonds come in that color?"

Rinoa nodded with a smile. "It's even a Princess Cut."

"I still can't believe Squall picked this out by himself," Ellone said as she let go of Rinoa's hand.

Rinoa held her hand up to admire the ring. "I can. He likes to pretend like he's too cool to care about most things but he pays attention."

"I wish Irvy paid attention to things," Selphie pouted.

Quistis chuckled and shook her head. "Give him a break," she told her. "You're both still young. At least give him a little time to pass his SeeD exam."

"Irvine isn't a SeeD like the rest of you?" Ellone asked.

Quistis shook her head. "He was just a cadet with Galbadia Garden who was assigned to our mission. Rinoa isn't a SeeD either, but she was at least technically our client."

"I do believe the word you meant to say was boss," Rinoa teased.

"And I do believe that the contract you signed with us clearly stated that we got Selphie, Zell and Squall back once the mission was complete."

"Well you can have Selphie and Zell but you're not getting Squall," Rinoa teased.

"Hey!" Selphie protested.

"Okay I'll keep you too," she smiled.

"I'm sure Squall will be ecstatic," Ellone chuckled.

"Doubtful, but I know Zell will be devastated to hear he's your least favorite," Quistis said.

"Don't you dare tell him that! Zell is a great guy, he's just...Zell is just a very high energy, high maintenance person. And by high maintenance I mean he probably goes through his weight in hair gel a month and would eat us out of house and home. He'd be too expensive to keep around," Rinoa defended herself. "Selphie is at least travel-sizedand eats like a bird. If she can stay quiet Squall might not even notice I've smuggled her into the apartment."

"That's a big if," Ellone grinned.

"Ah!" Selphie crossed her arms in feigning insult.

Quistis shook her head. "Speaking of Garden, how do you think everyone is going to react to news of your engagement?"

"I don't really know," Rinoa answered.

"Forget Garden, how will the paparazzi react?" Selphie asked. Both Quistis and Rinoa made faces as that reality set in. "Remember the stories they ran in the tabloids about the strippers, the scandals, and the illegitimate children?"

"Forget about that, remember how they used to stalk and harass us for statements and photographs? No matter where you went, they were there. For months Squall and I used to sneak out a back access to Garden's training grounds just to get into town undetected," Rinoa frowned. "I don't want to go through that again."

"They still harass me sometimes," Quistis admitted. "They wait until I'm alone now and start drilling me about Seifer. They want to know where he's at, how he's been, what he's been up to. I had one person ask if he was dead. More than a few of them have accused me of hiding him or being… You know it really doesn't matter. The fact is because I was his representative when the rest of the world was calling for his head, everyone assumes I'm the person to contact to find out information about him." She shifted on the arm of the sofa. "It's because of them that I've had to organize my minions."

"You're what?" Ellone asked.

Selphie smiled broadly. "Trepies unite!" she exclaimed as she thrust a fist into the air.

"You're joking," Rinoa stated.

"Nope," Quistis replied as she crossed one leg over the other. "They helped us out during the war and they're helping me out afterwards."

"Who are these minions?" Ellone asked again, watching her younger sisters for an answer.

"This fan club that she has back in Balamb," Selphie clarified. "They call themselves the Trepies. It was just a small local thing before the war but once we defeated the sorceress, BOOM! There were Trepies worldwide!"

"….Why did you have a fan club in the first place?" Ellone asked.

"Um, because she's awesome?" Selphie asked. Rinoa giggled as Quistis covered her face.

"What number are you?" Quistis asked her, her voice muffled by her hands.

"The world may never know," Selphie teased her. "Seriously. We have a network on the Garden's computer system. We're even able to connect with Trepies at Galbadia Garden and we're very optimistic about Trabia once they finish rebuilding and bring their system back online."

Ellone just stared at her. "There's an entire fan club devoted to her," she pointed at Quistis, "…for being awesome?"

"Pretty much," Rinoa answered. "I thought it was pretty creepy at first, but then I got to meet the journalists and reporters..."

Quistis smiled. "I'm starting to develop a fondness for my following."

"I kind of wish I had one sometimes," Rinoa admitted. "I know that I'm not the most popular person in Balamb, but just because of my relationship with Squall, they follow me. I don't want to think about what it'll be like once they find out we're engaged."

"It'll be a frenzy," Quistis warned her.

"I hate it," she frowned. "The closer they get the more nervous I become that someone will discover I have powers."

"It isn't common knowledge?" Ellone asked.

Rinoa shook her head, her raven bangs falling into her eyes a bit. "I mean, aside from you guys, only a handful of Estharian scientists and a few soldiers with the highest security clearances know. The thought of the whole world knowing scares me."

Ellone frowned, her gentle features taking on a harsher appearance. "Just make certain you're careful."

"I always do," Rinoa assured her. "But sometimes, accidents happen."

"Which is why you have Squall," Quistis stated.

"Well sometimes Squall and I will answer each other's thoughts aloud. We can share thoughts and things, but it's hard to tell what's spoken and what's thought if I'm not just watching him."

"And the sneezing," Selphie laughed. "Avoid the press during allergy season." Rinoa hid her face, knowing Selphie wouldn't leave it alone. "So the other week, we were taking a detour back to Garden on a dirt path through the forest. She stops to admire some wildflowers, sneezes and freezes the whole plant."

Ellone started to chuckle but stopped herself. "You sneezed and froze a flower?"

"It was a little wildflower," Selphie grinned. "After she was done with it, it looked like a little paperweight. An itty bitty purple flower encased in ice…"

"It was really pretty," Quistis offered.

"Too bad an innocent accident like that could launch a frenzied witch hunt," Rinoa said a bit sadly.

"If you're so worried about the press seeing something as they follow you because of the engagement, why not go back to Balamb already married?" Selphie asked. The other three girls turned to stare at her. "What!? I'm serious! You've already got most of your friends here, you wouldn't have to worry about anyone harassing you while you shop for a dress or anything."

"But we're only going to be in Esthar for a few more days," Quistis stated. "People plan for months, sometimes years for their perfect weddings." They all grew quiet, realizing that Rinoa was sitting silently on the sofa with her eyes closed.

"Rin?" Selphie asked gently.

"Let's do it," she whispered.

"What?" Quistis asked.

"Let's do it," Rinoa repeated as she opened her eyes. "Let's have the wedding here at the Palace."

"Alright! Let's partay!" Selphie exclaimed as she popped up off of the sofa.

"Wait a minute," Quistis interrupted. "Not to sound like a party pooper, but shouldn't Squall be let in on this?"

"The boy carried her to Esthar. He leapt out into space to save her," Selphie stated as she put her hands on her hips. "I think he'll be down with a simple ceremony."

"He does hate being the center of attention," Rinoa agreed. "And he particularly hates being the center of the media's attention."

"Which is why having the ceremony here with absolutely no notice would be perfect."

Rinoa smiled broadly at the thought. "We'll do it."

"Should we go consult Squall?" Quistis asked as she gestured toward the door.

"I already have," Rinoa smiled.

"You weren't letting him eavesdrop on us were you? This is girl time. It's sacred," Selphie stated. "Boys aren't supposed to know what we do and talk about when they're not around."

"Only the parts that pertained to him," she assured her.

"…And he said yes?" Quistis asked.

"He's Squall. He hates the attention of course he went for it. Now all we need is an officiant."

A really long silence settled over the room as all the girls mulled over the topic at hand. Quistis chewed on her thumbnail as she worked out arrangements in her head. "I think we can do a little better than that," she smiled.

"This is going to be so freakin' hectic! I can't wait!" Selphie bounced a little on her seat.

Quistis looked over at Rinoa. "I know you and Squall have this bond between you, but next time, give me a little warning before you link him into one of our conversations."

"Sorry," Rinoa frowned.

"You're fine," she told her. "But the thought of Squall being able to listen in without actually being here kind of creeps me out."

Rinoa grinned. "One day he'll discover it can be used as a surveillance tool."

"I have no doubt that day will come sooner than you think," she warned her with a grin.

Ellone absently wiped her hands on her dress and stood up. She walked over to her window and looked outside. "If Uncle Laguna will let you two get married here, he'd have to at least let Jasper and I date."

"But I thought you two were already dating," Rinoa stated.

"We are, sort of. We're together, Uncle Laguna is just having a really hard time with it. I tried to convince him to let me have my own apartment here at the palace while I studied but he insisted I stayed with him. I don't think he has accepted the fact that I've grown up yet. I love him to death but he really needs to let me make some decisions for myself. Jasper and I have known each other for a very long time. I'd love to be able to marry him."

"So you two are really serious," Selphie smiled.

Ellone smiled. "Very. I love him. I feel safe with him."

Quistis loosely crossed her arms as she stood. She stretched her legs a bit before silently making her way over to the vanity and taking a seat. She listened to them talk as she gently ran her fingers along her jaw line. She examined her reflection in the mirror and frowned faintly at the light bruise on her jaw. "If we're going to do this, we're going to need to get a very early start in the morning," she told them. "I suggest Rinoa goes and talks to Laguna and then the rest of us head to bed."

Rinoa nodded and started for the door. Selphie hopped up off the couch and followed her. "I want to go with you."

Quistis waited until they were gone before turning to Ellone. "Um, Sis? Could I ask you a question?"

Ellone looked up at her. "Sure, anything," she smiled.

"How do you know Jasper is the one?"

"What do you mean?" Ellone asked.

"Just, how do you know you're in love? How do you know when you're with the person you're supposed to marry?"

Ellone smiled. "Do you have someone in mind for yourself?"

Quistis smiled a little sadly. "I don't know that I would necessarily say that. I was just... curious."

Ellone was quiet a moment, staring at the traffic below as she contemplated her question. "I think, when you're in love with someone, you never want to imagine facing the world without them. You would do anything for them. They're your perfect half and without them you feel incomplete."

Quistis silently mulled over her answer before offering a subtle smile. "Thanks for that," she offered.

"Thanks for what?" Ellone asked as she turned to face her and tucked some of her dark hair behind her ear. "I just told you what I believed."

"I know," she told her. "I'm going to go get a shower and head to bed. Tomorrow is going to be busy."

Ellone smiled. "Good night Quisty."

"Good night Ellone," she said before crossing the bedroom and stepping out into the hall. She pulled out her phone once the door was shut and dialed Seifer's dorm room. Not wanting to be overheard, she stepped into the room she wassharing with Selphieand Rinoa. She smiled when she heard his voice. "Hey. I just wanted to check in on you," she whispered.

Back in her bedroom, Ellone turned her attention back to the illuminated buildings outside. Esthar was especially beautiful at night. She sighed, trying to imagine making a life for herself in such a busy place. A small smile crossed her lips as she brought a hand up to her stomach. Getting married would be good for Squall. It was about time he had someone there for him. He needed a family in Balamb. And once Squall and Rinoa were allowed to wed, she was certain it'd be easier to make Laguna more accepting of her and Jasper's relationship. She was running out of time, the sooner Laguna accepted Jasper into the family the better.

Laguna sat on the edge of his desk as he stared out at the Esthar City skyline. The buildings glowed against the dark sky above giving the city an almost surreal appearance. He brought a hand up over his mouth as he replayed the day's events in his mind. He'd managed to catch Kiros before he left for his quarters and the two had spent the past hour discussing the enigma that was Squall.

Kiros leaned against the wall and grinned. "First you were upset he wouldn't speak to you. He would avoid you in both public and private situations. He'd just cross his arms and look embarrassed to even be in the same room with you. But then, you started getting upset when he actually talked to you as a son. He was confiding in you, but you just didn't like his opinions on things. I've got news for you on that one: you two are never going to see eye to eye like you're hoping you will. You didn't raise him Laguna. He grew up alone in a totally different world than you did."

"Gee, thanks for the reminder," Laguna mumbled as he watched the lift system down below.

Kiros continued on, undeterred. "And now you're upset because he's been open with you and shown enough interest in you to challenge your opinions on his life and to have an argument with you? Congratulations Laguna, you've gotten what you've been wanting from the moment you met him. Squall is talking to you and actually listening to what you have to say. He clearly doesn't like most of it, but he is listening. There was a time when you thought he would never have anything to do with you," he reminded him.

Laguna sent him an annoyed, sideways glance.

"It's true. We had a conversation about that right here in this room," he stated. The buzzer sounded, causing both men to look over at the door. "Who would be coming by the office at this hour?"

"I didn't tell anyone I was here," Laguna said, slipping off the desk as Kiros pressed the release and opened the door.

Rinoa stood on the other side with Selphie right behind her. "Hey," she offered sheepishly. "Um, I was wondering if you had a minute? There was something really important I needed to talk to you about."

Kiros looked over at Laguna. "I'll give you three some privacy," he offered.

"No it's alright," Rinoa told him. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll keep it brief." She looked over at Laguna and offered him another smile. It was odd. Her father was a difficult person to talk to because of how opinionated and serious he was. Right now, Laguna was difficult to talk to because he looked so damn interested in what she had to ask him. She wasn't used to having this much undivided attention. She was starting to gain an appreciation for Squall's cool, distracted way of handling conversations. "I um… "

"She needs to ask a favor!" Selphie smiled broadly as she clasped her hands in front of her and fought the urge to bounce a little. Rinoa shot a look over at her. "Just a teensy little favor," she elaborated before nudging Rinoa forward a bit.

Rinoa had been rolling her ankle, a nervous gesture she'd developed some time after her mother had passed. When Selphie nudged her, she caused her to stumble into Laguna. She grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt and nearly knocked him down as he tried to catch her. He let out a goofy chuckle as he righted her and a few strands of hair fell across his face. He moved them with a toss of his head and then he shoved his hands in his pockets. "There we go. Almost lost it there," he smiled. "So, you need a favor? Name it."

Rinoa started to open her mouth to speak but with all the undivided attention in the room on her, she was finding it a bit difficult to form words. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, rolling her ankle to the side again before catching herself and stopping. "Alright. Squall proposed earlier this evening, and I wanted to know if we could use your rooftop garden as the setting for the wedding." A dead silence washed over the room and suddenly, the only thing Rinoa could hear was the pounding of her own heart in her ears.

Laguna stared at her, his mouth slowly starting to hang agape as it occurred to him that Squall had already proposed. The boy hadn't wasted any time and clearly hadn't cared about what he'd had to say on the matter. Across the room from him, Kiros looked amused, an 'I told you so' smirk gracing his thin lips. Laguna forced himself to focus on Rinoa.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rinoa could see Selphie biting down on her bottom lip as she watched her literary idol in an excited anticipation. Selphie looked like she were about to burst. Back in front of her, Laguna wet his lips and reached down to grab his leg. It was a predictable move but one that proved just what Rinoa had assumed; Laguna wasn't ready for Squall to get married. The way he was acting, one would've thought she'd asked to marry him instead of asking to marry Squall. That was a borderline scandalous thought. Laguna reached back with his free hand to steady himself on his desk but miscalculated and fell down. He landed with a muffled thud on the rug.

A snort escaped Kiros and he didn't try to hide his amusement. "Smooth, Laguna."

Rinoa, however, was less than amused-horrified was a more accurate definition of how she felt. Rushing over, she extended a hand to help Laguna up but he waved it away. "I'm okay," he told her, his face a bit red from embarrassment. "I'm fine. Although that's never happened before," he admitted. Rinoa ignored his assurances as she took hold of his right arm and helped him stand back up.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just Squall and I have been really serious for well, since I got my powers. And he proposed tonight and instead of being excited, all I can think about is how the press and everybody in Balamb is going to flip out. The attention they gave us after the war was almost frightening at times and they're going to start following us all over again. Every little intimate detail they can find is going to be plastered across the covers of magazines and we're going to lose every bit of privacy we've just started to get back. I just wanted to get the ceremony over with before they even knew there was a reason to chase us…"

Laguna frowned as he took hold of her shoulders to make her stop talking and look at him. "Okay," he told her. "It's all yours. I understand."

Rinoa smiled. It felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you."

"When do you want to have it?" he asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon if it's possible," she admitted.

Laguna looked past her to Kiros. Getting a nod from the taller man, he offered her a smile. "Alright then. Every girl should be allowed to be excited and look forward to her wedding," he told her. "We'll plan for something around five and I'll make the necessary phone calls to get things lined up for your approval first thing in the morning. If this is what you and Squall want..."

Selphie let out a little squeal of excitement.

Rinoa threw her arms around him and gave him a fierce hug. "Thank you so much," she whispered.

Laguna hesitated momentarily but then returned the hug. "You're welcome." He shot a glance over at the clock. "But if we're going to do this, you need to hit the hay. It's getting late. And don't uh, worry about a thing. I'll take care of it," he assured her.

Rinoa nodded with a smile. "Thanks again," she said as Selphie pulled her out of the office.

"Don't mention it," Laguna smiled as he waved after them.

"Goodnight!" Selphie called out as the door started to slide shut behind them.

Laguna offered a small wave.

Kiros waited until the door was closed. "Well, you handled that with grace."

Laguna nodded as he looked around. "….I don't even know where to start," he conceded. "I told him he wasn't ready and what does he do? He proposes the instant he gets the opportunity. And then sends her in with her big pretty eyes, looking all sweet and –"

"He's good," Kiros smiled. "That's the nature of teenagers Laguna. They're all bull-headed and stubborn and manipulative to different degrees. You've just got to find a way to deal with it."

"Yeah you'd know a thing or two about that wouldn't you," Laguna teased.

"All too well," Kiros agreed.


	8. Healthy Competition

If there was one thing that could be said about Jasper, when he said something was huge, he meant it was huge. Squall stood next to Irvine and Zell as they stared at the crystal clear lake that extended from just in front of their boots, all the way along the entire length of the recreation wing.

Jasper stepped over to stand beside Irvine as he looked out across the pool. "What do you think?"

"I think this might be the most glorious pool I've ever seen in my life," Irvine told him. "And I'm not really a big swimmer."

"It's great in the winter," Jasper informed him. "It actually goes beyond the far wall and extends out onto the rooftop patio over the conference room.

"It's temperature controlled isn't it," Zell grinned.

Jasper nodded. "You can swim while it's snowing."

"I don't care if you losers join me or not, I'm getting my trunks and I'm swimming," Zell stated.

"I'm so glad Rinoa packed trunks now," Squall admitted. He was a bit jealous that this pool was wasted on Laguna. He briefly imagined the older man splashing around in gaudy bright swimming trunks with chicobo floaties. He banished that mental image as quickly as it had popped into his head.

Irvine smiled. "I kind of wish I'd brought something to swim in now."

"I thought you didn't like swimming," Squall reminded him, his eyes never leaving the sparkling water.

"For this pool I'll make an exception."

Jasper smiled. "You're more than welcome to jump in. The whole facility is private. Only the occupants of the President's and the Residential Wings have access to this place."

"Who lives in the Residential Wing?" Irvine asked.

"Both Kiros and Ward live there with their families. Laguna's secretary also lives there. The entire wing is divided up into six two story apartments with Laguna's quarters connecting to the central hall, across from the residential wing. I heard that Laguna has been trying to convince his mother to move out here for years."

"His Ma is still alive?" Zell asked. "Where does she live?"

"Wait, so Squall has a Dad, a sister and a grandmother now? That just ain't even fair," Irvine frowned. "I'd kill to have a long lost relative come out of the woodwork."

Squall started to say something but remained quiet.

"At least your folks have an excuse," Jasper told him.

"My folks are dead," Irvine frowned.

Jasper crossed his arms and looked down at his shoes. "Mine abandoned me at a train station in Dollet when I was five. The engineer took me to Balamb because there weren't as many orphans there."

A very long and awkward silence settled over them before Zell finally spoke up. "Well, the next time you're in Balamb let me know and I'll take you to meet my Ma. She'll gladly adopt you. She sort of does that to all of my friends. She thinks of Irvine as a son but clearly that isn't good enough for him."

Irvine sighed. "I didn't mean it in a bad way."

"Good. Because Ma would be hurt," Zell informed him.

"I swear," Irvine insisted.

Zell nodded. "Well, I'm going to go get my trunks. Join me if you want," he said before going over to the door and hitting the release.

"I'm going to go find something to swim in," Irvine told Jasper and Squall.

Squall looked over at him. "Where are you going?"

Irvine shrugged. "No idea. But this is Esthar. This city doesn't sleep. There's bound to be a place for me to find some."

Squall nodded, sparing a glance around the room before following after him. "I've got a pair of PT shorts if you want them," he offered.

"You actually think I can fit in your PT shorts?" Irvine laughed. "I don't know if you've noticed or not, but unlike me, you have no ass. You're thin as a rail man."

"And I wear my PT shorts baggy. Besides, the shorts fitting snuggly around your waist in the swimming pool might not be a bad thing," Squall said dismissively. "We wouldn't want them coming off."

Irvine shrugged. "When you're right you're right," he conceded. "Although I can't imagine you wearing shorts."

"It happens," Squall said as he led him back towards Laguna's private residence.

"Does not," Irvine teased. "I can't imagine it."

"It does."

"There is no way you get out and do PT in shorts. You'd probably blind everyone with your pasty kneecaps."

"My kneecaps are anything but pasty," Squall defended himself as they walked. "I, unlike you, grew up in Balamb."

"Yeah and you also lived in leather for like, two years."

"Because I was conditioned to the heat and humidity," he dismissed Irvine's argument. "But I wasn't running miles, completing obstacle courses and wrestling in leather pants. I have PT gear."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Irvine said as they opened the door to their room to see Zell checking his phone. "Put it down and step away from the dresser."

"What? Oh yeah I was just checking some messages," Zell told him.

"Exactly. She's going to be angry and she's going to harass your phone. Just put it down and walk away."

Zell made a face but did as he was told. "I'm going for a swim."

Squall and Irvine watched as he left. "You do know she is going to be waiting on him when we get back to Garden," Irvine told Squall.

"So?" Squall asked as he pulled a pair of navy shorts from his duffel bag.

"So it's a little bit stalkerish man. She's going to bully him as much as she can. Women are vindictive like that."

"He's a SeeD. If he can't handle an ex-girlfriend maybe he shouldn't be holding a mercenary for hire job title," Squall stated as he tossed the shorts at Irvine. Irvine caught them and then frowned down at the Balamb Garden emblem. "If you don't like them you should've come better prepared."

"Galbadia Garden's got better colors."

"…."

"Yeah anyway, I'll be right back, I'm going to go try to squeeze my butt into these things."

Squall ignored him as he pulled on his swimming trunks and grabbed his pair of running shoes. He was having a moral dilemma about whether or not to remove his jewelry when Irvine came back out of the bathroom.

"Disgruntled Chocobos?! That is so….not you. Seifer maybe but not you," Irvine grinned as he tilted his head to the side and looked at the yellow birds plastered across Squall's trunks.

Squall shot him a glare through the strands of hair that hung in his face.

"Glare all you want. It isn't going to change my mind. You might be grumpy and disgruntled as a personal default but you are not a gamer."

Squall ignored his comment. "Ready to go?" he asked as he zipped his ring, necklace and earring away in his bag.

"Yeah," Irvine grinned, still looking at his swimming trunks.

"Stop staring," Squall scowled as he pulled on his shoes and started back out to the recreation wing.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" Irvine prodded.

"….."

"It does doesn't it? Well you shouldn't wear such adorably awesome swimming trunks if you don't want to attract attention."

"I feel like you're staring at my butt. Stop it."

"Prude," Irvine teased.

Squall shook his head and stopped momentarily to remove his shoes as they approached the pool.

"Well, you are."

"Coming from the one of us that hasn't been laid yet," Squall quipped.

"Ouch," Jasper commented from his spot at the poolside.

"Hey," Irvine defended himself. "I've got my reasons, and I'm pretty sure Zell hasn't either." He looked out over Jasper's head to watch Zell come up above the water's surface. "So, what are we doing?"

"I'm swimming laps," Squall stated as he lowered himself into the water.

"I've got one better. I say we see who can swim laps the fastest," Zell said as he swam over.

"Sure, of course he wants to race. He probably grew up swimming off the sandy coast of Balamb every day," Irvine dismissed it.

"He wouldn't be the only one," Squall grinned as he tossed head back to get his hair out of his face.

"Let's do it!" Jasper said enthusiastically as he pulled his legs out of the water and hopped up to his feet.

"You guys suck," Irvine complained but still grinned.

Not too long after the boys began their laps, Rinoa and Selphie stood at the pool's edge and watched them as they swam. Neither of them said anything. They just waited, seeing how long it would take for them to be noticed. A few minutes passed and all four of the boys swam past them multiple times without ever looking over in their general direction.

"I don't think they've noticed us," Selphie stated as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes they have, they're just too caught up in their little race to stop and see what we want," Rinoa shook her head.

"But I thought you said Squall was on board with everything."

"He is. And he knows we're here too."

Selphie glanced around and then grinned. "I know how to get their attention." Rinoa looked over as Selphie bounded over to an equipment shelf. She grinned as she watched Selphie carry an armful of brightly colored dodge balls over. Selphie stumbled and sent two balls bouncing free of her grasp. Rinoa was able to catch one and stop the other with her foot. "How good is your arm?" Selphie asked her.

"Good enough," Rinoa smiled and then hurled a ball at Zell's head. It made contact and then bounced straight up in the air. A cackle escaped Rinoa's lips at the sound the ball made when it hit him. He went under and flailed about for a moment before bursting through the surface of the water, coughing. Selphie sent her ball flying towards Jasper but it landed with a disappointing splash behind him. They both laughed as Rinoa threw her second ball and landed right in front of Irvine. He thrashed and fell back in surprise as he tried to avoid the obstacle in front of him. When Selphie hurled her second ball at Squall, Rinoa might've given him a head's up.

Go under!

Squall was under the surface of the water before the ball ever splashed down.

"No fair you cheated!" Selphie laughed as she pushed Rinoa playfully.

"Prove it," she pushed her back.

"What the hell guys?!" Zell said once he finally caught up to everyone else. "That came out of nowhere!"

"That was the idea," Rinoa stated.

"Yeah. That's what you guys get for ignoring us," Selphie taunted him.

"What do you ladies want?" Irvine asked.

"Squall and I need to talk," Rinoa told him. Zell made a face as he turned to look over in Squall's direction.

"We might as well get out anyway," Irvine stated. "Jasper was kicking our asses, Zell's included."

"What did you expect he grew up being trained to be a White SeeD," Squall stated.

"Yeah I'm still not one hundred percent on what that even means."

"It means he was raised and trained to protect Ellone at all costs. It stands to reason he'd have to be a great swimmer in case that ship of theirs ever sank or ran into trouble," he clarified.

Jasper pulled himself up out of the water and smiled. "Sorry guys, thanks for playing though," he joked. "It was fun."

Irvine smiled faintly as he pulled himself out of the water and then hurled a wet ball towards Selphie. She squealed and ducked out of its way. He smiled as he sat contently on the edge with his feet in the water.

"Are you sure you don't want to go again?" Zell asked Jasper.

"Squall, we need to talk about the wedding," Rinoa said as she carefully made her way around the edge of the pool. Squall pulled himself up on the edge and stood. He reached out to keep her from slipping.

"The wedding? This is about the wedding? Can't it wait? We were having a guy's night," Zell complained.

"The wedding is going to be tomorrow," Squall stated, his wet hair plastered to his face and neck.

"It's what?!" Irvine asked as he found his feet and grabbed a towel. "That's too soon!"

"Thank you!" Zell agreed, climbing out of the pool and pushing his hair back. "You need time to plan and make sure you're ready."

"You need time for us to go out and party before the big day," Irvine argued.

"How did you get Laguna to go for it?" Squall asked Rinoa, ignoring both of his friends.

She shrugged. "I just showed up at his office and told him I was afraid of a media frenzy and how awful it had been immediately after the war. He agreed almost immediately."

"After he fell off his desk," Selphie interjected.

Rinoa smiled. "Yes. After he fell off his desk. I think he was surprised."

Squall smiled at the mental image as she picked the wet strands of hair off his face and neck and tossed them back. "Well I'm glad he caves so easily when I send you in to ask him for things."

"Just let me know what you would like next. A shiny new gunblade? A car? A hefty donation to Garden to help with post war repairs?" Rinoa smiled.

Squall grinned in return.

"Wait a minute. If you two are getting hitched tomorrow then we get him tonight," Irvine said as he threw an arm around Squall's shoulders.

Rinoa spared a glance over at him and smiled. "Laguna's going to have a bunch of people over in the morning to help put everything together as quickly as possible so don't stay out too late," she told Squall.

"Don't worry about him, we'll have him back at the Palace in time," Irvine assured her as he pulled Squall away. Squall scowled and resisted. "Oh don't get fussy! You can spend all the time with her you want tomorrow night," he teased him with a nudge to the ribs. Squall stared past Rinoa and over at the windows as he tried not to blush.

"I'll see you first thing in the morning," Squall assured Rinoa.

She nodded, fighting a blush herself. "No strippers," she warned Irvine.

"Whoa whoa! Who said anything about any strippers?" He held up his hands defensively and then caught the look on Selphie's face. "I promise there won't be any strippers. But there will be a party. A party that you gals can't be a part of. So if you don't mind, we need to get changed and go out and humiliate—I mean celebrate, with Squall here."

Squall sighed. He had no idea what Irvine was going to come up with but he was certain it would be horrible.

Rinoa smiled. Don't be so hard on him you're one of his best friends.

Squall started to make a face but didn't. "I'll see you in the morning," he told her.

Rinoa smiled and rose up onto her tiptoes to kiss him. "Night," she said with a smile before starting to leave.

"Night Irvy," Selphie smiled.

"What? I don't get a kiss?" Irvine asked.

Selphie scrunched her nose. "You're all wet," she told him.

"Fine," he dismissed her.

She smiled in response. "No strippers," she mouthed to him before following Rinoa out.

Once the door had slid shut behind them, Rinoa looked over at her. "Do you think there'll be strippers?" she asked.

Selphie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Occasional dirty magazines is as far as it goes with him. He wouldn't know what to do with a naked girl if she slipped off the stage and kicked him in the face."

"…I hope you're right," Rinoa grimaced at the thought.


	9. Return of the Beast

Rather than accompanying the guys out for who knew what Irvine had planned, Jasper wrapped a towel around his waist and returned to Laguna's quarters in the residential wing. The apartment was oddly quiet. There was no television, no radio, no absent humming or singing. It was very apparent that Laguna hadn't come home yet—not that Jasper needed any of those things to tell him that. The fact that Laguna's bedroom door sat open and the tray of cookies on the coffee sat untouched, was all the evidence he needed to know Ellone's dear uncle hadn't returned home. Unable to turn down a tray of Ellone's oatmeal cookies, he grabbed one before making his way down the hall.

Quietly padding past the girls' guest room, he opened the door to Ellone's and slipped inside. He wasn't surprised to find her sitting in the window seat, reading in her gown. His eyes momentarily lingered on the pale skin of her legs that contrasted with the teal fabric that lay across her lap. He didn't say anything as he pulled open a drawer and grabbed a change of clothes.

"You spend almost as much time in that pool as you do with me," Ellone's soft voice pierced the silence. He grinned faintly as he closed his drawer.

"Then perhaps you should join me more often. You'll never convince me that you don't like the water."

Ellone offered a thin smile before closing her book. She set it aside and stood up. Closing the curtains, she walked over to him. He never turned to face her, and instead pretended to be preoccupied with organizing the items sitting on top of the dresser. "Maybe I really don't like the water," she told him as she traced a finger down the skin on his back.

A sly smile crossed his lips and he closed his eyes. "Never gonna convince me," he informed her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "Water is unhappiness." Resting her cheek below his left shoulder blade, she frowned. "I know that Matron didn't intend for it, but water has come to represent my imprisonment. An entire childhood trapped on that ship, never staying in one place for too long." She blew her bangs out of her eyes and stood silently, holding him.

Jasper remained quiet as he took that in. "Water is you," he whispered. Putting his fresh clothes down, he pulled her arms away from his waist and turned to face her. "Had it not been for that ship, you and I would not be. Edea wouldn't have kept so many of us to stay with you and she wouldn't have trained us. I know those years weren't desirable, but we came of it. And maybe it's just because my own childhood was so awful, but I wouldn't trade what we have now for anything. I refuse to associate water with imprisonment or unhappiness. Water was our liberation from the world. Water should represent freedom, possibility, and happiness. I was born in a one chocobo desert town with no future, abandoned at a train station, and yet because of that ship, I'm the strongest swimmer I've ever met, and there isn't an ocean that could keep me away from you …so long as you wanted me of course."

Ellone smiled as she took his hands in hers. "You can have such a way with words when you want to," she told him.

"I have my moments," he smiled.

She smiled and pulled a hand away to tuck her hair back. "Now maybe if you'd explain that to Uncle Laguna he'd understand us better."

"Maybe tomorrow," he offered.

Ellone nodded. "It's almost tomorrow," she pointed out.

Jasper glanced over at the clock. "Guess I should get changed and mess up the bed."

She snorted as she shook her head. "You boys and your games," she dismissed him as she let go of his hand and went back to her window seat. "Eventually he's going to catch onto what you're doing."

"I'll deal with that mess when the moment presents itself," he said as he came out and flopped down on the pillow and blanket she'd laid out for him on the couch.

"He is going to be upset," she warned him as she put away her book and pulled back the blankets on her bed.

He shrugged dismissively. "He'll cope," he offered. "He can't stay mad for forever and especially not at you." He adjusted the pillow behind his head a bit to make it look laid on and then sat up. "And especially not once you have that baby. I don't care how mad he is initially, the man is going to melt."

Ellone smiled. "I hope so," she admitted as she adjusted herself under the blankets.

Jasper grinned as he crawled into bed with her. "I don't think you have a thing to worry about," he assured her with kiss on the cheek. "So, how are my girls doing anyway?"

"So sure it's a girl?" she asked quietly.

He smiled. "A little girl with your pretty face and perfect skin? I can hope."

She smiled. "Or A little boy who took after his father would be quite handsome as well."

"If you say so. Still holding out hope for that little girl," he argued as he slid an arm around her and shut off the light.

Squall had followed Irvine and Zell to the parking garage against his better judgement and had spent the entire car ride lost in thought. Irvine had said a few things he'd wanted to comment about but the timing hadn't felt …right. He was certain the girls would celebrate this as some sort of social achievement for him, but the girls weren't here right now and he wasn't sure if bringing the subject up in front of them was a wise decision. Although as emotional as Zell was lately, bringing the subject up in front of him might not be a great idea either. He frowned. Why did relationships have to be so complicated?

Irvine parked their borrowed car at the curb and killed the engine. The electric blue accessory lighting switched off and a white overhead light came on, illuminating the interior of the vehicle. Squall winced a bit at the unexpected brightness. Whatever he was going to say to Irvine was interrupted by Zell's obnoxiously loud voice.

"Whoa whoa whoa man! You told the girls we wouldn't be going to a place like this. There's no way I can go in that place!" Zell protested as he leaned over the back of their seat. Irvine looked over his shoulder and gave him a look. "I'm serious! There are very …bad girls in there man. They strip for money."

"I think they prefer the term exotic dancers unless you want to pay them extra to do other things," Irvine couldn't help but tease. "C'mon man you just broke up. Live a little."

"Live a little? I followed both of you to hell and back during a war that still gives me nightmares. And I ditched a borderline crazy chick because she was a control freak willing to challenge my mother of all people. And you know what? I don't even want to be seen near this place. If someone sees us and my Ma finds out about this she's gonna—"

"Do you always do what your Ma tells you?" Irvine asked.

"Of course, she finds out about everything. But unlike you, I'm a good boy. And she's absolutely terrifying when she's angry and disappointed in me." Folding his arms across his chest, Zell slumped down in his seat.

"He's right," Squall agreed. "We're too high profile. We can't be caught at a place like this. And his mother is kind of …intimidating when she's angry."

Irvine sighed out loud, resting his palm against the top of the steering wheel and stretching his fingers before squeezing them tightly around it again. "Squall. As your best man it is my duty to take you out for a wild night before you get hitched. Seeing as you're getting hitched so freakishly soon, tonight is the only night I am going to have that opportunity. You're going in."

"Excuse me," Zell frowned as he leaned over the back of the seat. "But as his more responsible best man, it is my job to make certain he doesn't do anything he's going to regret or be haunted by before he gets married. And going in that place is a mistake." Squall smiled, relieved to have the backup.

"Ten minutes ago you were still against him getting married. You don't get to be best man now. That ship sailed about three of your lectures ago," Irvine argued.

"Yeah well I finally accepted that it was inevitable this was going to happen with the war and her powers and that freaky connection they have," Zell countered.

"Speaking of that bond," Squall frowned over at Irvine. "How do you think knowing I'm at a strip club is going to make Rinoa feel? You know she's going to find out. I may be able to block out some of my thoughts and emotions but I can't block it all. I'm still figuring out how this works."

"And what about Selphie?" Zell asked. "She's crazy about you."

"I'll say," Squall made a face as he looked back up at the flashing sign on the building. "Can't figure out why though…"

"Hey!" Irvine said defensively.

"It's true though," Zell stated. "You're going to take Squall to a strip club and see other girls when you've got a girl back at the Presidential Palace that would love nothing more than to put on a show for you but you won't let her." Both Squall and Irvine turned to stare at Zell. "It's true! Selphie talks to me."

"About that?" Squall made a face.

"About why her boyfriend isn't into her," Zell stated. "She's crazy about you man. She'd do anything for you."

"Yeah I know. That's the problem," Irvine frowned, pushing the ignition in. "These girls will dance around and look pretty. But Selphie, if it gets that far with her she'll want to do more."

"And?" Zell asked.

"And I respect her more than most other girls," he frowned as he fiddled with the car key. "I'm just not ready."

Squall stared straight ahead. They were not seriously going to start discussing their sex lives, or rather, lack thereof. He closed his eyes as he tried to tune them out. When that failed, he decided to implement the only thing he could think of given the current situation. He was going inside.

"You're ridiculous!" Zell teased Irvine, enjoying being able to pick on the cowboy for once. "You talk big and prance around acting like some ladies man but what it all comes down to is that you're really nothing more than an insecure—" he spun around when Squall's door closed. "Whoa wait, why did he just get out of the car?"

"Alright we're going in," Irvine said, relieved to be spared Zell's lecture as he turned off the car and quickly climbed out.

"Damnit guys!" Zell's voice was muffled by the closing door but still audible. He pushed his own door open and followed them. "Squall! What gives!? If you want to go do something there are plenty of bars and—"

"There are worse things than being in trouble with Rinoa and listening to you two whining about your personal lives is one of them," Squall stated. He stopped walking, catching sight of a figure in the shadows that he hadn't expected. "Shit," he scowled.

"What?" Irvine asked as he turned around. "…Oh. Damn."

"I just want you to know that I blame both of you for whatever happens to me tonight," Squall said under his breath as the figure walked up to him.

Zell fell into a defensive pose and positioned himself in front of Squall. "Don't worry man, as your groomsmen it's our job to make sure you make it to the wedding alive."

"So my informant was correct," Caraway stated flatly as he came to stand in front of Zell. Even though the older man's face was largely obscured by the hood of the robe he was wearing, Squall could tell it was him. His grey eyes were absolutely piercing as he glared daggers in their direction. "You know for a Garden Commander, a President's son and a recent victim of a tabloid frenzy, I would've thought you would've been smart enough to steer clear of a place like this. Not to mention the fact that you tried to lead me on to believe you were serious enough about my daughter to want to settle down with her. Congratulations, you've proven my point. They're called dog tags for a reason. Most military men just can't seem to control themselves. You don't seem to be any different."

Squall scowled. While this did look bad on him, he wasn't about to admit it, and it didn't matter because the General was wrong anyway. "You're wrong," he said, not really having a good argument or excuse without sounding like an idiot by recapping the conversation in the car. "How did you find us?"

"How did I find you," Fury corrected him. "I could really care less about them. To be honest I could care less about you. It's my daughter that I want back and I know wherever you are, she's always close by." He paused to glance over his shoulder at the building behind them. "Well, with the exception of tonight." His piercing glare focused back on Squall as he closed the distance between them. Zell shifted to the side, repositioning himself between them. "I may have run Rinoa off, but I've always wanted what was best for her even when she couldn't understand it. And if you think you're her best option you're sadly mistaken."

"Hey man why don't you just back up and ease off of him a little. You don't know what in the hell you're talking about. Rinoa's the only girl in the world that he's ever given the time of day. He didn't even want to come here." Fury grabbed Zell by the shirt and flung him out of the way.

"Hey!" Squall shoved Fury back, instinctively getting between him and Zell. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. It must've been a momentary bout of madness because now that he'd made his move he was drawing a blank on what to do or say next. He stood a bit awkwardly, watching Caraway to see his next move.

"Seriously he's telling the truth!" Irvine tried to interject and smooth things over. "It was my idea. My very stupid idea. I thought it'd be funny to try and drag those two here and neither one of them even wanted to go. I just wanted them to be able to say that they did one totally crazy thing in their lives while they were still bachelors. It was harmless," he continued.

If Fury was convinced he didn't show it. Instead he stared just past all three of them, his gaze still frosty as he slowly raised his hands. Squall watched him quizzically. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on; when out of the corner of his eye he caught the President's seal on the shoulder patch of an armed guard coming up behind Irvine. This was just great. Squall looked over to his left to see another pair of guards approaching.

"What's going on?" Irvine asked.

"We're being watched," Zell stated as he crossed his arms. "What the hell?!"

"Of course we are," Squall frowned as the wind blew a few strands of his hair into his face. "I'm the President's son."

"Are you alright Sir?" the nearest guard asked Squall.

"I'm fine," he replied in a flat tone. "How did you find us?" This was embarrassing.

"All of the Palace keys are tracked, as are all of the vehicles."

Zell looked back at the car they'd borrowed. "Yeah I guess I'm not really that surprised."

The guards moved to apprehend Caraway, still oblivious to his identity as they placed restraints on his wrists. Much to Squall's surprise, Fury didn't resist. "Don't worry, we'll take him into custody for you," the tallest of the three guards told him.

Squall sighed. "Don't," he frowned.

"He was threatening a member of the President's family we're obligated—"

"He is …practically a member of the President's family," Squall forced the words off his tongue. It felt strained coming out but he'd managed it. "He's Rinoa's father." All three of the guards turned to look at Caraway. The nearest one pulled down Fury's hood and then stepped back in surprise.

Fury just offered a perfectly political smile. "Well, you've got me boys. Thanks to you there's one less ruffian on the streets of Esthar City. Congratulations." His voice was calm and precise but Squall could tell Fury was enjoying taunting them. He'd never seen the older man look so pleased. It had to be a cover. A cover for what Squall wasn't entirely certain.

"We have to take him in. We were ordered to apprehend whoever was harassing them," the shortest and youngest looking of the guards said to the other two.

The first guard nodded in agreement. "…Let's take him straight to the President. I'm sure he and Kiros would love to talk to him about him sneaking past Estharian defenses to get into the city undetected."

Fury didn't betray his thoughts or emotions with his facial expressions, but Squall could tell by the look in his eye that he was getting exactly what he wanted. He was going to get close to Rinoa.


	10. Harsh Realities

Much to Squall's annoyance, the Presidential Guards whisked the General away in their own vehicle and left him with Irvine and Zell outside of the club. Despite leaving shortly after the guards, Irvine had lost track of their car in the network of narrow streets and tunnels that connected the ground-level city grid with the higher-level roadways. Then, as if losing track of the guards that were escorting his angry future father-in-law wasn't bad enough, Irvine managed to get turned around and couldn't figure out how to actually get back to the palace. They could all see the palace, but trying to direct Irvine in how to steer the car in the right direction was proving troublesome. Squall stared out at the colorful city lights all around them. This night was turning into a nightmare and there wasn't anything he could do to make things better aside from offering Rinoa a simple warning.

I'm sorry.

He felt her emotional response almost immediately. Sorry for what? What's going on? You got so defensive I just knew you were going to get into a fight with someone and now you're just…really jumbled. Frustrated and anxious?

He massaged his temple. You don't have much time. But we ran into your father outside of a club. He's looking for you and he's not happy.

A momentary sense of dread washed over him with enough force to almost render him ill. Then, as quickly as it came, it went away as Rinoa composed herself and organized her emotions. Is he on his way to the palace?

Some Presidential Guards showed up trying to protect me. They took him into custody and are taking him to see Laguna. He's going to try to get to you. We'd already be there but Irvine managed to get us lost.

Rinoa felt oddly calm despite her initial emotional flare-up. Don't worry about me. I can hold my own. Just get back here as soon as you can.

Her calmness was a bit of a relief. I will, he promised.

Good, she communicated with confidence. And Squall? I love you.

I love you too, Rin. Considering the current situation, he couldn't help but grin just a little. The shit was flying towards the fan and was going to make contact at any moment. Her reassurance that she loved him acted as both a calming presence before the storm, and as proof that he'd managed to shield her from his thoughts while they were outside the strip club. Just that little bit of control over their bond made him feel a lot better about things. He liked feeling in control—feeling helpless was absolutely awful.

"Um, Squall?" Irvine interrupted their communication. "I've been around you long enough to know that that little grin means you're talking to your lovely lady friend, but I could really use a bit of assistance getting this thing on. User friendly for the average Estharian and user friendly for a backwoods Galbadian boy are two totally different things. I have no shame, I'll admit when I'm beat." Turning to face him, Squall looked down to see what Irvine was trying to do with the glowing computer screen just above the radio controls.

Growing tired of watching Irvine fumble with the computer guidance system on the console, Zell leaned over the front seat and began inputting commands himself. Squall watched silently as Zell's fingers slid across the touch screen panel and a charted route popped up. An eloquently spoken male voice came online and began trying to coach Irvine out of the parking complex he'd pulled over in. Squall spared Zell a glance as he plopped back onto the back seat.

"It pays to be a fast learner," Zell shrugged it off with a smile.

"Alright Irvine, we've got to get to the palace. Make a right turn here and then merge over at that light," Squall said, not needing the voice to tell him how to read the map. They had to get back.

Meanwhile at the Presidential Palace, the guards walked briskly, their boots echoing in unison against the marble floor. Their dress robes hid almost all evidence that they were security officers.

Almost.

Both men bore shoulder patches that gave away their occupations, with the Presidential Seal on one arm and the Loire Family Crest on the other. It was Estharian tradition that every President be awarded a crest upon starting their presidency, and while Presidents of old had chosen everything from monsters to stars, and even the Esthar City silhouette, Laguna had chosen two Moombas. Two dancing Moombas, to be precise.

Why Moombas would be on such an important crest disturbed Fury. It wasn't like Laguna had chosen a pair of Toramas holding a shield—he'd chosen a pair of goofy looking Moombas, which everyone knew were fairy tale creatures. Fury had always known Laguna to be an idiot, but this might prove him to be insane.

Or brilliant.

If they were meant to be a distraction they were definitely doing their jobs. The happy Moombas were disturbing him a lot, and he wasn't a man easily bothered. He forced himself to stop focusing on the security patches and focused on why he was there. Fury hadn't come to Esthar expecting to find Rinoa so easily but Laguna's guards were certainly helping him out. Ignorance aside, Laguna was a man of passion; if he could get an audience with Laguna, he knew he'd be able to see Rinoa. He just hoped Laguna wouldn't hold a grudge over the small matter of Squall's black eye. To be fair, it wasn't really that discolored—just a little purple and yellow. It could've been much worse. If he was lucky, Laguna wouldn't even know he'd been the one to put it there. Fury was leaning heavily on the hope that Squall wasn't really all that close to daddy.

The guards stopped and waited silently outside a closed door. After a moment, it hissed open and a tall, thin man stood waiting on the other side. He recognized Kiros immediately and offered a nod. He'd never understood why a man as intelligent as Seagill had shadowed an idiot like Laguna so closely. He'd always assumed it was to offer some level of protection—maybe Kiros was afraid Laguna would hurt himself if left unsupervised. Accepting that assumption as fact, he nodded once more in acknowledgement of Kiros's presence. Following Laguna had at least paid off for him, it was just a shame that it was Laguna that was made President and not Kiros. Fury had no doubt in his mind that Kiros would be a force to be reckoned with if he ever held the President's office.

"This way, General," Kiros said simply, turning on his heel and leading the other man across an empty lobby. Fury followed, noticing that not only was Kiros dressed much like the guards were in those ridiculously ornate robes, but that the guards weren't following them. He pondered whether or not that was a major security concern as the next door hissed open and he caught his first glimpse of Laguna sitting at his desk, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. A grin tugged at his lips. Here Laguna was in the most technologically advanced country in the world and he was jotting down chicken scratch on what looked like the back of an old envelope.

That was the Laguna he expected to find here.

Upon seeing Caraway come in, Laguna quickly wrapped up his phone call and hung up. Scribbling down one more note, he dropped his pen on the desk and stood up. "So uh, what brings you to Esthar, General?"

Fury stared at him a bit quizzically. That wasn't the introduction he'd been expecting, and he was fairly certain he'd seen Kiros face-palm out of the corner of his eye, but he'd go with it. "I'm here to see my daughter," he stated plainly.

There was a moment of silence in which Laguna and Kiros exchanged glances. Fury considered the possibility that just maybe Kiros was running the country by controlling the Presdient. Laguna was ridiculously goofy and very non-threatening. Perhaps it was Kiros who was brilliant.

"Then why were you following Squall and his friends in my city?" Laguna asked in a much firmer voice than Fury was expecting.

"Because I know they're hiding her," Fury replied flatly. "I've been trying to get in contact with her since she ran away during the war."

Laguna made a face and tucked his hair behind his ear. "I'm no expert on children, but if they run away, I'm pretty sure that's a good indication that they don't want to have to deal with you."

Fury clenched his jaw, trying to remain composed. "No, you are no expert on children," he agreed with him. "As far as I'm aware you've never raised one. The circumstances surrounding my relationship with my daughter are very complicated. I wouldn't expect you to understand. I'm just requesting that you let me speak to her."

Laguna carefully stepped around the side of his desk and sat on the edge of it. He crossed his arms loosely and seemed to look him over. Fury frowned and returned the gesture. Laguna looked away, unable to win that staring contest. After composing himself, Laguna looked back at him. "Why should I?" he asked. "From what I've figured, she ran away twice. That's got to say something about you."

He immediately scowled and Laguna immediately started massaging his leg. Fury found it odd but dismissed it as a nervous gesture or old war injury. "It says that I've made some mistakes," he stated. "But it wasn't because I wasn't trying. I want to speak with her."

"Well, I don't think she wants to speak with you," Laguna said. He wet his lips and looked over at Kiros for validation. "And to be honest, I don't know that I blame her. Not after you hit Squall."

Fury crossed his arms. So much for Squall and Laguna not talking… "I was frustrated," he growled through gritted teeth. "She was just a teenage girl and he was hiding her out at his Garden. I can't prove it but you and I both know it's true. If you'd ever tried to raise a child you might understand how frustrating it is to deal with a situation like this."

It was Laguna's turn to scowl. Well, if the man could scowl. The expression on his face kind of resembled a distressed frown. "What happened between me and Squall wasn't …entirely my fault," he defended himself.

"And frankly it doesn't matter," Kiros stepped in. "What matters is that the General of the Galbadian Army was captured by Presidential Guards stalking the Commander of Balamb Garden well within Esthar's territory. Inside Esthar's capital city if you want to be technical. How do you think that makes you look right now?"

Fury didn't even acknowledge Kiros by looking at him. He kept his focus on Laguna. "I know exactly how it looks," he stated dismissively. "Just consider it a father's desperation. I've been trying to get her back since the day she took off. She's never considered the consequences her actions have had on other people. She just runs and does as she pleases and then claims that anyone who tells her no is just being unfair. I've been trying to bring her home for years, and just when I get close, she shacks up with the Commander of another military force. How do you think that makes her look?" he asked. "How do you think that makes me look?"

Laguna didn't say anything as he processed what Caraway had said. It brought back memories of him trying to find Ellone, but the difference was, Ellone had never been running away from him.

"I hit Squall because he deserved it," Fury continued. "He showed up at my house assuming that I would be more than happy to consent to the lifestyle Rinoa had with him."

Kiros gave Laguna a look. He knew Laguna had been on the phone making various wedding arrangements since Rinoa and Selphie had left. This would be interesting.

"Squall cares about her," Laguna defended Squall.

"Squall is nothing but a military dog. You know the type. He's got his weapon and his war stories and a penchant for using them to hit on and pick up women," Fury dismissed him.

"Squall isn't like that," Laguna frowned, sliding off the edge of the desk and standing up in front of Caraway. "Squall is well, Squall. He has trust and attachment issues from me well, being a lousy husband to his mother, trying to get him to open up to me is like trying to get blood out of a turnip. He's made the attempt to reconcile a little but it doesn't come easy to him. But if there's one thing I do know about him, it's that he'd do anything for your daughter so you'd better just…. stop with that military dog stuff. He isn't like a lot of the guys back in the G-Army. He isn't using her. If he was he would've walked away from her already. Believe me, he's an expert at finding exits from social and emotional situations."

There was a long and unnerving silence before Fury sighed loudly. It was clear that Laguna was going to argue the subject if he pressed on with his opinion of Squall, and no progress would come from upsetting the President and getting thrown out of the country. "I just want to see her," he said simply.

Laguna exchanged another glance with Kiros before offering a nod. "I'll call down to her room. She might be sleeping though, if she is, you're just out of luck."

Fury nodded, relaxing his posture for the first time since he'd come into Laguna's office. "Thank you."

Laguna's hand rested on his phone as he watched him. "Just …as a warning. If you upset her, you will be taken into custody and I'll let Kiros instruct his guys to do whatever they want with you. I doubt the new President of Galbadia will be in any position to really challenge Esthar giving the current situation."

Fury glanced over at Kiros. So that was Kiros's master plot. He was the head of all things Estharian security. He had access to everything surrounding Laguna and Esthar's highest office. "I won't intentionally provoke her," he assured Laguna.

"….I mean it," Laguna warned him. "Kiros and his guys are a creative lot."

Fury looked back over at Kiros as Kiros looked right back at him. He believed Laguna.

To be completely honest, Fury hadn't expected to get to see Rinoa. He'd assumed she would be conveniently asleep or would just flat out refuse to speak to him. He couldn't have been more wrong. Within minutes of Laguna placing a phone call, his office door hissed open and Rinoa barged inside wearing little more than a pair of shorts and an oversized Garden t-shirt. He stared at her silently. Her hair had gotten much longer since he'd last seen her and it hung halfway down her back. A few strands fell into her face and she brushed them away before crossing her arms across her chest.

"Caraway," she stated simply. She was stubborn. She got that from him.

He stared at her for a long moment, taking the casualty of her appearance in. They were having an awkward reunion in the Estharian President's office and she was standing barefoot in her pajamas like she owned the place. She also didn't look happy to see him, at all. Laguna and Kiros weren't really helping the situation, neither man had volunteered to leave the room. "I wish, just once, that you would call me Dad again."

Rinoa shrugged it off as she shifted her weight. "I guess you should've thought about that when I was just a little girl."

Fury started to speak but didn't. He glanced over at Kiros and Laguna. "Could we have a little privacy?"

"No," Kiros stated.

"Only if she wants it," Laguna responded. All of their gazes went to Rinoa. She hesitated a moment before nodding.

"Fine then," Kiros conceded. "We'll give you a few minutes but if we overhear any fighting it's over."

"I understand," Fury frowned, watching them as they stepped out of the office and crossed the lobby. They left the door wide open and it irritated him, but he suspected that it was intentional. After how he'd gotten here, he was getting to speak with Rinoa so he knew he couldn't be too demanding.

A very long and very awkward silence filled the room. Fury crossed his arms over his chest and Rinoa followed suite and crossed her arms as well. He watched her quietly, appreciating how much she looked like her mother. Rinoa's eyes found his and she stared up at him, unfazed by the cold grey stare that usually sent other people cowering.

"So is this the plan?" Rinoa pierced the silence with her softly spoken question. "Assault my boyfriend and then follow us all the way to Esthar City? You wanted to talk to me and I'm here. Talk."

"You've grown up to be such a beautiful young woman," he told her. "…Just like your mother."

Rinoa looked down but only momentarily. "Yeah. I know," she replied. "I see her every morning when I look in the mirror. It's why I don't wear red. It was her favorite color. I look too much like her when I do." He frowned and relaxed his stance a little more. "Why are you here?"

"For you," he answered. "Since the day you first took off I've had men on the lookout for you."

"Yeah I know. A few of them tried to grab me in Timber. They failed," she added.

"I'm aware," he frowned.

"I'm not a little girl anymore," she stated. "You can't drag me home and lock me in my bedroom like you used to."

He sighed and made a face. "When you say it, it sounds so-"

"So mean?" she asked. "So controlling? So borderline child abuse?" asked, feeling emboldened by the fact that she knew he was out of his element and at the mercy of Kiros and Laguna if she yelled for help.

"It was never like that," he frowned.

"You locked me in my room!" she charged him.

"There was never any abuse," he defended himself.

"That mansion was my prison!"

"I couldn't control you!"

"I didn't want to be controlled!"

"You needed to be, you were wild!"

"I was scared and trapped and all alone!"

Squall jogged down the corridor that led to Laguna's office. Rinoa was giving him a very vivid and emotionally charged inside view of the conversation with her father and he suspected it was because she was so upset and not in control of her abilities. He was intercepted by the guards and started to shove his way past them but Laguna and Kiros were there to stop him.

"Things are under control," Kiros assured him. "They're being monitored from my office."

Squall frowned. "She doesn't want to see him," he disputed his claim.

"If she didn't want to, she wouldn't be in there," Kiros reasoned. "She came to the office on her own. You have to let her work things out." Squall didn't like what he was saying but he stopped resisting against the hold Kiros had on his arm.

"Fine," he said, annoyance and frustration evident in his voice.

Laguna waved him towards Kiros's office. "Come on," he whispered. Squall nodded and did as he was told.

"So you're monitoring the situation?" he asked once he was inside.

"There isn't a room in this palace that I don't have bugs in," Kiros stated as he took a seat in a corner chair. "Aside from the apartments of course. But the doors and corridors outside are under constant surveillance."

Squall sat. That wasn't creepy at all…

"Are you sure cutting him out of the wedding was such a good idea?" Laguna asked as he sat. "He seems pretty upset."

Squall shrugged it off as Irvine and Zell came into the room. Kiros reached over and hit the control to shut the door.

Laguna didn't even bother trying to reason with him. Doing so would take too much time and attention away from what was unfolding in his own office a few doors down. Adjusting the volume on Kiros's computer, Laguna leaned back in his seat as they listened.

In Laguna's office, Fury was quiet, watching as the tears welled up but she refused to let them fall. He wet his lips as he watched her. "Lavender would be heartbroken to hear that you said that."

"I don't care how Lavender might feel," she told him. "She's the maid not my mother."

"She cared for you like you were her own daughter," he reminded her. "After the accident…"

Rinoa crossed her arms across her chest, a clear and obvious defensive gesture. He was striking a nerve. "I didn't need another mother, I needed my father."

"You had me," he told her.

"I had a prison warden."

Fury didn't say anything, listening for any approaching footsteps that would signify Kiros was sending the guards in after him. After a few moments of silence, he focused his attention back on her. "I was scared and trapped as well," he informed her.

She narrowed her eyes, causing a tear or two to slip. He could tell she didn't believe a thing he said judging by her rigid and defensive posture. She was still ready to fight.

"I know things were bad between your mother and I, but the night I lost her—"

"You lost her a long time before that accident," Rinoa interrupted him.

He glared at her. "The night I lost her rattled me to the core. Deling City loved her. She was their darling. She could do no wrong and they loved you because you were hers. I never mattered, I was just the General in the background. But because of them, she was safe. You both were safe. The night she died, we'd had a fight and she'd rushed out with you. I was angry but I wasn't worried about either of you. She had enough friends and contacts, she had many places she could go to cool down.

"But that night, there was someone else waiting that had a vendetta against me. The two of us together made me too powerful. Your mother had to be removed from the picture so that I wouldn't have so much public support."

Rinoa shook her head. "You are so full of yourself. I can't believe you're actually trying to use her to build yourself up. How do you not choke on your ego?"

"I'm telling the truth," he stated. "Losing her shattered my world. I was forced to admit that Deling City wasn't as safe as I'd allowed myself to believe. I'm sorry if you had an unhappy childhood but I was doing what I had to, to keep you safe."

"It was a car accident!" Rinoa countered. "It was wet, and raining, and dark. She was afraid you were going to come after us so she was heading out of town for a friend's house."

"I know exactly where she was going. Lyle was one of her best friends."

"No he wasn't," Rinoa argued. "Valerie was her best friend, Lyle was just her biggest friend. Believe it or not, she was leaving you! She was miserable and unhappy. You were suffocating and she wanted out. She'd sent clothes ahead to his house so that all she had to do was put me in the car and drive away. She was going to Lyle's in case you tried to go after her."

Fury had no immediate response to that. Rinoa watched as he appeared to be at a loss for words. "Things were a bit bad between us, but they were never that bad," he whispered.

Rinoa watched him, feeling a little bad. She'd never seen that lost expression on his face. "She sent a bag of our clothes ahead with an aide. She told me we were going to stay with him for a while. I assumed you knew."

He shook his head, having difficulty digesting that information. "No. She was my Queen. We had our problems but they were because of the war. You would've been gone a few days and I would've come for you. She would've brought you back home."

Rinoa frowned, no longer wanting to pursue this line of conversation. "It was dark and wet and, it was just an accident," she told him. It was a lame attempt to make him feel better but she felt like she had to say something.

"It was murder!" he snapped, his deep voice startling her and causing her to jump.

She watched him, trying not to look visibly shaken. "You're being paranoid and delusional."

"It was Deling," he stated, ignoring her. "Your mother was the Darling of Deling City and I'd climbed up the ranks far too quickly. Deling had been President, and I use that title very loosely, for far too long. I didn't realize it then, but I was a threat to him. Well, your mother and I were a threat to him. If either of us had challenged him he could've been removed from power. I was young and foolish and didn't realize the danger."

It was Rinoa's turn to be silent. Staring off at a potted plant on the office floor, her mind raced. Her mother had thought that her father was following them. She remembered being cut out of the car by rescue workers and being angry that her father had taken so long to show up if he was right behind them. If what he said was true, everything made a little more sense. At least what she could remember of it made sense.

"Your mother was upset while she was driving. She was speeding and covering more ground than the murderer was expecting. They couldn't have known we'd just had a fight and she was leaving town as fast as she could. The wreck occurred too close to a firehouse. Firemen arrived on the scene before they could make certain you both were killed. That fight saved your life. Although one could argue that it also got her killed. But if it hadn't happened that night, you can rest assured that they would've come after the two of you on another night. It was not a question of if but when," he added quietly. Rinoa remained silent, taking everything in. "I kept quiet. The climate in the city was so toxic and the war was barely over. I didn't have enough conclusive proof to prove Deling was responsible in court, not that there was a court that would've convicted him, and I knew throwing out accusations would potentially start a civil war. I know he was a dictator but so many Galbadian families were shattered because of all of the fighting. They deserved time to heal from their losses. They deserved peace. Your mother would've agreed."

Despite Selphie and Quistis joining the guys in Kiros's office, the small room sat submerged in a thick silence. Everyone exchanged glances but no one seemed quite ready to disrupt the quiet that was being transferred over from Laguna's office. Kiros rubbed his face, clearly lost in a deep thought. Laguna sat silently at the desk chair, looking as if he were about to cry. He covered his mouth as he stared a hole into the speakers that only occasionally transmitted static.

Irvine opened his mouth to say something but he closed it and settled for clearing his throat and crossing his arms across his chest. Selphie took a seat on his lap and loosely clasped her hands in front of her. Zell and Quistis had a silent exchange before soft sobbing started coming across the speakers. They both looked over at Squall but he appeared to be lost in his connection with Rinoa. It was sometimes difficult to decipher between the distant stare he got from the war and his deep focus on whatever was going on in their bond.

Some inaudible whispering could be heard through the speakers before the sobbing stopped. Then everything grew quiet and Squall frowned.

"She's blocked me out," he complained, looking over at the speaker and willing it to reveal what Rinoa didn't want him overhearing.

"That can't be good," Zell frowned.

"Or maybe it can," Quistis countered. "She could've blocked him at any point but she waited this long. She might be feeling safe enough to confide in Caraway without Squall backing her up. This could be a huge step for them."

Kiros came around the desk and knelt down beside the chair Laguna was sitting in. He reached over and tapped a few commands on his computer screen, bringing up a video of the office and showing Rinoa and Caraway. Laguna looked over at him.

"Really man? That's kind of creepy," Laguna stated.

Kiros smiled. "Trust me I don't watch you any more than I have to. It's painful."

Laguna let out an awkward chuckle. "Fair enough."

"I'm sorry," Rinoa's voice came across the speakers. "The rumors are true." There was another long and uncomfortable silence. "It wasn't any of the other girls that were there it was me. Her powers went to me."

Everyone looked over at Squall immediately. Squall remained silent but the expression on his face suggested he was fighting to keep his composure. The very delicate balance he'd worked out with Garden and the world to try to hide Rinoa's powers had been thrown out the window with a single confession. Caraway now knew Rinoa's secret.

"We've been trying to keep it quiet. We didn't want the world knowing. I mean I'm sure everyone is going to know eventually but I just… I'm scared for them to know. Sorceresses have been the root of a lot of wars here recently and I'm afraid of how people will react. I want to be safe and I want to be happy. I want to be able to have a family."

"And Squall is your knight." Caraway's words were more of an accusation than anything but his tone did soften. "I suspected it was either you or Trepe that ended up with the powers. Trying to track down where Edea's powers went became a top priority of mine."

"It was me," she whispered. "The powers transferred to me when she was near death and then the Sorceress Ultimacia possessed me and forced me into a comatose state. It's kind of complicated…" she trailed off.

"Esthar knows?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"And they're okay with that? That hardly seems possible."

"Well, originally they were going to seal me away in a chamber to prevent me from using my powers. But Squall was there to protect me. They were just scared. It's understandable," her voice shrank back down into a whisper.

Everyone in the room waited silently for Rinoa to continue talking.

"So you and Squall are… There's no chance I'm going to be able to split the two of you up?"

Rinoa let out a slightly strangled chuckle. "No. We're pretty bonded at this point."

"So the old sorceress lore is true. Is it a shared emotional bond or can you control him?"

Squall frowned at the computer. He didn't like where this conversation was going. Rinoa didn't immediately answer.

"I suppose I could if I had to. But I haven't really considered it. Not that I would," Rinoa answered.

Squall shifted uncomfortably. So far she wasn't saying anything to help ease the nausea swirling around in his gut. She'd just spilled everything to Caraway. Was she crazy?! She didn't even speak to him unless she had to. Squall brought a hand up to massage his temple.

"I know you're not happy with me or him right now. But we're going to be together for the rest of our lives. It's more than just us. The peace of the world depends on it. I don't know how many other sorceresses there are out there, but as long as I have him and I don't let myself get corrupted, I can at least guarantee that neither Edea nor Adel's powers will be used to start another war. The world has suffered enough I think."

"You've got Sorceress Adel's powers too?" Caraway's voice crackled a bit over the speaker.

"Shh," Rinoa stopped him. "I've got Squall blocked but yet he's still freaking out a bit. The room must be wired or something."

"I'm not surprised," Caraway grumbled.

"Shit," Kiros frowned.

"I am not freaking out," Squall said under his breath.

"Are you sure?" Irvine asked. "You are looking really pale."

"I'm a little anxious but I'm definitely not freaking out," Squall stated.

"I should've known better than to trust those two," Caraway's voice interrupted them. "Let's attempt to go somewhere that's a little more private."

Kiros and Laguna watched as the two of them abruptly left Laguna's office. "Good luck," Kiros said, forcing Laguna to get up and then sitting down in his seat. He tapped his computer screen a few times and switched between various cameras.

"You really do have this whole place wired," Laguna commented.

"Even the basement," Kiros dismissed him as he switched to a camera near the rooftop exit. "And that's saying something because the last President was apparently a little insane and booby trapped the place." Laguna looked over at him in surprise but Kiros didn't elaborate any further.

Unable to stay in Kiros's office any longer, Squall took off and went to the nearest elevator. Naturally the others all followed suite, but Quistis took her time. She grabbed Zell's arm because he was the closest, and slowed him down.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "If Squall goes up there alone Caraway will—"

"Caraway won't do anything to him. Especially not here," she assured him as the elevator door closed and started going up without them. She casually pressed the button on the wall and waited for it to come back down.

"Yeah but he was pretty mad at Squall. He had people watching him. He came here looking for him," Zell argued.

"He came here looking for Rinoa," Quistis stated. "Don't you know her at all? She's going to be upset over the eavesdropping. The less people that are there to witness her telling Squall she's upset the better."

"But you're still going up," Zell pointed out.

"Of course I am. When people are as upset as Rinoa and Caraway, it's important to have a level-headed mediator. " Zell huffed as he crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the floor. He was about to start tossing a few practice punches but Quistis stole his steam. "You of all people could take a lesson or two in learning how to be more level-headed," she admitted.

"Excuse me? I am the epitome of level-headedness," he defended himself as he thrust a thumb to his chest.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. …Chicken-wuss," she grinned slyly as she stepped onto the elevator.

"What did you call me!? I think you've been hanging around Seifer for too long! He's corrupted you. He's a very bad influence," he stated as he stepped in with her.

"Level-headedness at it's finest," she smiled as the doors closed.


	11. Lady Undeterred

Rinoa waited just inside the doors that led out to the rooftop garden. Still barefoot and dressed in her pajamas, she loosely clasped her hands in front of her and played anxiously with her engagement ring. Caraway stood an arm's length away from her and watched the small movement silently. The expression on his face didn't mask his unhappiness with the whole situation and when Squall walked up, he scowled in his direction.

Despite his rush to get to her, Squall wasn't sure what to do or say now that she was right in front of him. Caraway wasn't exactly helping—his looming presence felt condescending and judgmental. Squall stood there awkwardly, silently grasping for the words necessary to diffuse the situation. While Squall was usually anti-social, Rinoa was not one to be at a loss of words, and she interrupted the uncomfortable silence that was hanging over the rooftop.

"Don't you listen to me at all?" she asked as she stepped closer to Squall. "I hate feeling trapped and controlled. I can't believe you were listening in on us!"

Squall crossed his arms and frowned. "Kiros and Laguna were listening in on you. I only started after you blocked me out."

"I blocked you out because I wanted privacy."

"But you didn't have any," he stated. "And if the two of them were already listening in I wanted to be on the same page as they were."

Rinoa closed her eyes a moment in an attempt to compose herself. "You could've warned me," she told him.

"No I couldn't, you blocked me out."

She hesitated a moment before blushing and offering Squall an apologetic smile. "Oh…yeah. I guess that would make sense," she offered. "They did just leave me alone with my father." Rinoa looked down at her feet before sparing her father a quick glance and then looking past Squall at everyone else that was approaching. "I know they were probably just trying to look out for me but I just needed some privacy. I've been watched for as long as I can remember."

"If you want privacy, you need to go to one of the apartments in the residential wing. None of the apartments are bugged," Squall offered.

Rinoa nodded. "That's good to know." When Squall focused on something behind her, Rinoa peered over her shoulder, catching the other side of a silent exchange between the two men. Giving her father an accusatory look, she turned her attention back to Squall. "Everything's alright," she assured him. "I just want some fresh air. We're going out to the garden but you can go on and get some sleep. Kiros has guards all over the place, and apparently, cameras all over the place too. Nothing is going to happen to me."

Squall wrestled with that for a moment before nodding. "Just let me know once you're back safely in your room." He couldn't help it, he didn't trust Caraway.

"I promise," she smiled.

Still not thrilled with the situation, Squall turned to the others. "Come on guys. It's late and we need to get some sleep."

"What?! You're just going to leave her up here with him?" Zell asked as he gestured towards Caraway.

Squall nodded. "Him and a dozen or so palace guards."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's alright," Zell relented, though he didn't look entirely convinced as he watched Rinoa and her father leave.

Leaving the others behind, Rinoa took a deep breath as the exterior doors hissed shut behind them. Thankful for the cool nighttime air, she walked along the pathway that led to the rooftop garden. She continued walking towards the patio, little colorful landscaping lights flanking her on both sides. She was immediately reminded of the dance she and Squall had shared there but shoved the thought aside. Even though she knew it was petty, she was trying to be a little mad at him. It wasn't like she hadn't given Squall a few hundred reasons not to trust her father. Any time the General had been brought up, she'd always had some reason to put him down or try to convince the others that he couldn't be trusted. She was torn between trying to hold on to her childhood and teenage grudges and trying to trust what her father had told her. She supposed there was more than a small part of her that had believed him based off of his body language. She had to give him the benefit of the doubt—she'd made Squall talk to Laguna, so it was only fair that she made an honest attempt at reconciling with her own father. After telling him about her powers, he seemed to take it with such stride, almost as if he'd suspected all along. He made her feel as if things would be okay, even if he had to tolerate Squall being in the picture. Surprisingly enough, it was a huge relief to have his acceptance and support, and the lonely little girl inside of her didn't want to do anything to lose it.

Rinoa found a seat on a bench and looked around at the subtle lighting that illuminated the garden in soft blue, green, and pink hues. Fury sat beside her, startling her out of her thoughts. She looked over at him, wiping her cheek quickly before watching as he looked around. "I really like it up here," she whispered. "It's so quiet and peaceful. And the stars are so beautiful." She smiled as she looked up. Fury spared a glance upward but remained quiet. "It's neat…usually you can't see the stars this bright in big cities." When his silence continued, she fidgeted and played with her engagement ring.

Fury continued watching the stars. "We're higher than most of the city," he offered. "And the clouds aren't as thick here as they are back home."

"The clouds aren't that thick anywhere else in the world," Rinoa grinned.

"I've never seen the sky so clear," he admitted.

"Never?"

"Never."

"The stars are beautiful over Balamb as well."

Fury looked over at her. "When are you going back to Balamb?"

"We have to be back on Monday. Quistis has classes and Squall has... Well, Squall has his duties that he's supposed to attend to."

"Does he really run that place by himself?"

"Not all by himself. He has help."

"What do you do there?"

"I'm sort of in the middle of figuring that out," she offered lamely. She looked down when he reached over and took her hand. She watched silently, trying not to tremble. Sitting next to him, she felt like a child all over again and was suddenly very afraid of disappointing him. The thought was laughable at best after everything she'd done in relation to the occupation of Timber and her involvement with SeeD. And of course, Squall.

"When's the wedding?" Fury asked, interrupting her thoughts.

She wet her lips and looked down at her ring. "Oh, that. Well, I uh.."

"You weren't going to tell me."

When Rinoa didn't reply, he sighed and let go of her hand. Peeking out from under her bangs, she tried to read him. He was disappointed. That hadn't taken long.

"Tomorrow," her voice was barely a whisper.

Fury shifted, turning so that he could face his daughter. Despite how Rinoa tried, she couldn't mirror his actions and face him. "And how exactly was I to find out about it? Through the gossip magazines?" he asked flatly. "You ran away. Twice. I took great risk in liberating Timber for you after the war. You hid from me for months. I had to employ my spy network to track you down. And now I learn that I was going to find out about your wedding through the media outlets? Do you have any idea how humiliating that would've been for me?"

"I didn't think about that," she told him. "I really didn't."

"Do you think about anything?" he asked her. "You're getting married tomorrow and you're barely of age. You're still a child."

"I'm a sorceress," she whispered. "All of this is way beyond the teenage runaway that I was. This is bigger than Timber and your reputation in Deling." She wet her lips and looked down at her hands. "The journalists scare me. Squall is my knight and he proposed. I couldn't just go back to Balamb with a ring, the media would've been all over it. They would've started harassing us even more than they already have been. Someone might discover what I am if they watch me too closely."

He furrowed his brow and then clenched his jaw. "I don't enjoy the tabloid stories, but I'd hoped that they'd at least kept their distance away from you."

"No. Squall had guards posted outside of Garden and along the road. The reporters and photographers are really pushy," she frowned. "He does everything he can to keep them away from all of us. There are some things he can't help though."

Fury sighed and looked around the garden before directing his attention up at the stars. "Does it have to be here?" he asked.

"Does what have to be here?"

"The wedding."

"It's beautiful here."

"Its just a bunch of flowers. Don't limit yourself. Don't go back to Balamb just yet and pick a destination. I'll pay to send you there."

She looked up at him, unable to form words for a long moment. A few tears escaped. "You'd do that for me?"

"Things are much more complicated than I was led to believe," he responded. "But I only want the best for you."

Rinoa smiled. "I want to have it here on the rooftop. It's beautiful here."

He sighed. "…You're certain?"

"Yes."

"Alright," he conceded.

A cautious grin spread across her lips before she lunged over and wrapped him in a clumsy, but fierce, hug. Fury nearly toppled off the edge of the bench but managed not to—barely. He carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders as he adjusted to the unfamiliar show of affection.

The sound of a rock scraping across the stone path interrupted them. They couldn't make anything out at first but then Laguna stumbled in the darkness and his surprised cry alerted them to his presence. Rinoa whirled around to see where he was and Caraway sat up a bit straighter, peering over her head. Laguna offered an awkward wave as he approached. His features were barely visible but Rinoa could tell he was grinning broadly.

"Watch that corner, there's a stone that sticks out a bit," Laguna said a bit sheepishly. Neither Fury nor Rinoa said anything and instead just stared at him. The longer the silence went on, the more awkward the President seemed to get. A small smile spread across Rinoa's face. Laguna was such a goof.

Your father is such an adorable dork, she teased Squall.

Ugh. This is what you reopen the connection to tell me? He complained.

Rinoa grinned even more broadly, making Laguna think she was grinning at him. Laguna scratched the back of his head in response.

"Its getting really late. You should probably go to bed," he told Rinoa. "If you want, I have a furnished apartment you can stay in," he offered to Fury.

Rinoa hesitated and cast her father a brief glance before nodding. "You're probably right," she told Laguna. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

Fury nodded silently, having given up all control of the situation… for now. Rinoa offered him an awkward hug before hugging Laguna and then slipping around the pair of men and heading inside the palace. After she left, Fury stared at Laguna.

Suddenly alone with Fury in the dark garden, Laguna looked around. While he was certain there were guards somewhere, he definitely couldn't see them, and it made him feel a bit vulnerable. He watched Fury cautiously, imagining Kiros laughing at his discomfort as he watched them through the security feed.

Fury broke the silence. "She's not staying with him tonight is she?"

"W-What!? Oh no," Laguna assured him quickly. "I made the girls stay in one room and the boys in the other."

Fury nodded as they started walking back towards the rooftop doors. "You were going to host a wedding here without even telling me?" he asked.

"Not to be rude, but we aren't friends," Laguna pointed out. "But I was planning on contacting you afterwards so you wouldn't find out from like… the gossip mags."

"How thoughtful," Fury grumbled before tripping over the same stone Laguna had stumbled over minutes before. Laguna reached out to grab his arm but Fury pushed it away.

"Well with all due respect, I had to protect Squall," he stated. "I didn't want to risk you coming up with some kind of emergency that required Garden's assistance so you could try to tear him away from her."

Fury looked over at him. "I wouldn't have done that," he stated.

"I wouldn't have put it past you," Laguna countered.

"It wouldn't have worked."

"Fair enough," Laguna agreed as he paused to let the doors slide open. Giving a nod to a guard on duty, he stepped inside. The two men walked in silence to the lift. The only sounds in the empty hall were their footsteps and a fountain in a nearby lobby. Laguna stepped inside and pressed a button on the elevator's panel. Once Fury had joined him, he loosely crossed his arms and hummed a bit to distract himself from the oppressive silence.

Fury watched Laguna for a long moment before he reached over and hit the stop button. The lift lurched to a standstill, causing Laguna to lean heavily against the support rail.

"What'd you do that for?" Laguna asked uncomfortably. "You know they're gonna figure out this thing has stopped and will come to check things out."

Fury ignored him; it was time to take back control. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked him.

Laguna looked around. "Honestly? I'm trying not to freak out. I've never been stuck in one of these things."

"That's not what I meant," Fury frowned as he closed the distance between them. "With Squall and Rinoa. What's your angle? Based off of what I've gathered, you're a worse father than I am. Is this your way of compensating for not being there? Just consenting to whatever whims and fancies they can come up with?"

Laguna frowned as he continued to hold onto the rail tightly. "To be honest?" he asked. "I'm trying not to be you."

Fury stared at him, torn between bewilderment and offense. He felt as if he should be offended by the comment.

Laguna continued. "Rinoa ran away from you and always talked about how bad things were with her father. I want to be someone Squall can always come to if he needs me. I want him to feel safe with me, regardless of how much I embarrass him," he frowned. "And he does seem really embarrassed by me." Laguna watched as Fury leaned back against the opposite rail. "I just found out I had a son, I'm going to do whatever I have to do to keep him in my life," he added as he lunged forward and hit the release button on the control panel. The lift started moving again and Laguna slumped down into the padded seat affixed to the wall.

"I did the best that I knew how to do," Fury stated solemnly. "If she thought I was bad…My father was awful."

Laguna watched him, fighting a frown. The lift door snapped open and they were greeted to the sight of four guards waiting on the other side. "Told you they'd notice," Laguna said playfully to Fury. Fury raised an eyebrow, annoyed by the other man's sudden impishness. Even the guards seemed unsure of the situation once Laguna started grinning. "Stand down boys, we're just going to have some drinks. No need to be concerned," Laguna dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Fury stepped off the lift and followed Laguna silently. He had no idea what he was doing now that he'd had the chance to speak with Rinoa but alcohol definitely sounded appealing.

They walked for what felt like forever. The palace was every bit as big on the inside as it looked on the outside. Eventually, they came to a wing that was decorated much differently than everything else Fury had seen. Laguna stopped at a panel on the wall and swiped a card. The door beside them slid open and he followed Laguna into what appeared to be a private residence. He looked around, curious if he were actually in the President's abode. The place was decorated but it seemed impeccably tidy. Fury had his doubts that this was an occupied apartment. Laguna continued to lead him through the large open rooms, and the further he walked, the more he began to doubt that this was even an apartment. They entered what appeared to be an entertainment room with a bar. Laguna went over and opened up the refrigerator while Fury lingered to inspect an interesting looking game table.

"Is there anything specific you'd like?" Laguna asked as he pulled out a bottle.

"I'll just have whatever you're having," Fury said as he traced the carving on the table with his finger tips. "Unless it's fruity. I don't do fruity drinks."

Laguna hesitated momentarily before putting his drink back. "Neither do I man. Don't like the uh… aftertaste," he lied as he pulled out two beer bottles.

Fury cast him a doubtful glance. "What is this?" he asked, looking down at the intricate carvings on the tabletop.

"It's an awful Estharian game," Laguna told him as he sat Fury's beer on the edge of the table. "It's a strategy game based on complex mathematic calculations—it is terrible. It was in my quarters when I moved in, but I made them move it out after I couldn't figure out how to get off of the home space. Kiros loves it though."

Fury nodded as he sat down in a recliner and took a drink of his beer. "Is this the furnished apartment?" he asked.

Laguna nodded. "I'll have it redecorated for Squall and Rinoa to stay in after they're married."

Fury looked around the room. "It's nice," he offered.

"Yeah but I figure I'll do something to make it less minimalistic. It could use some clutter to make it cozy."

Fury took another drink. Of course Laguna would think clutter was a legitimate decorating tool. "I'm sure they'll like it," he dismissed. He adjusted himself in his recliner and looked around for the lever to raise the footrest.

"All that in the office about Julia, was it true?" Laguna blurted out before he could stop himself.

Fury looked over. "Yes. Why?"

"Just curious," Laguna said quietly as he inspected the level of liquid still sloshing around in his bottle. "Rinoa looks just like her."

"I know," Fury replied.

"She's a beautiful young woman."

"Point being?"

"I don't really have one," Laguna said as he took another drink. "Squall looks like his mother."

"Lucky bastard," Fury grinned as he finished his beer.

"Hey!"

Fury smirked. "Don't be so offended. You enjoy the fact that when you look at him you can see his mother don't you?"

Laguna nodded after a moment. "Yeah," he grinned. "I do."

Fury stood up and retrieved himself another beer. "If he ever hurts her I'll hunt him down and end him."

Laguna turned to watch him. "First off, he won't, not intentionally, anyway. Second, speaking of hurting someone, if you ever touch him again, I'll… "

"You'll…?"

"I'll kick your ass," Laguna warned him.

Fury fought a snicker. "Alright. I'll consider myself warned."

Laguna frowned. "No. I'm serious. If you ever lay another hand on him, I'll catch a ride to Galbadia and be at your door before you even know that I know what you did. You've been a General for forever. You've got to be off your game."

Fury frowned but let it go. "I won't," he promised.

Laguna nodded as he sat his bottle down on the table. "Good," he said as he tossed his hair back out of his face.

"What time is the wedding tomorrow?" Fury asked as he leaned against the bar.

"Seventeen-hundred," Laguna answered.

"Up on the roof?"

Laguna nodded.

Fury nodded. "It's almost three already."

"It is?" Laguna asked as he checked his watch. "Oh look at that. I've got to let Ellone know what I need her to do in the morning before I head to bed. I'll see you later. If you need anything, just dial housekeeping or the kitchen. The numbers are labeled on the phone."

"I will," he said as he carried his beer back to the recliner.

Laguna nodded. "I'll let myself out," he told him. "…Night."

"Night," Fury said as he sat his beer on the table and slowly lowered himself into the recliner. Stretching his legs, he reached over and picked up the phone. He dialed home as he reclined the chair back and picked his beer up. He smiled when there was an answer. "Good afternoon, Darling."

"Fury? It must be after midnight there!" Lavender's beautiful accent brought a smile to his face.

"It's going on three here."

"You had better get some sleep. You and I both know how cranky you get when you don't get enough sleep. I'd hate for your charming morning personality to get you locked up by the Presidential Guard."

He snorted. "I'll go to bed shortly. You'll be happy to know that I was able to talk to Rinoa."

"How did it go?" She asked hopefully.

"It went fairly well for the most part. Well, if you overlook the fact that she's getting married tomorrow."

"What!?"

"I know," he frowned. There was a loud shuffling on the other end and he listened as Azalea's high pitched voice grew louder. There was a rustling sound and then heavy breathing.

"Good afternoon, Sir!" a happy, excited voice shouted in his ear.

"Hello Az," he smiled. "Holding down the fort while I'm gone?"

"Yes sir!"

He smiled. "Promise me you'll always be a good girl for your mother and I. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it if you turn out like your sister."

She giggled on the other end.

"Did I say something funny?" he asked.

"You're silly, Sir. I don't have a sister."

Fury hesitated, at a loss for words. "Yes um, could you put your mother on?"

Laguna returned to his wing of the palace and fought a yawn as he trudged through the large living room. He enjoyed having so much company, as the space was really too big for one man and his dog. Passing through the kitchen, he smiled when he saw a bowl full of cookies—Ellone must've been baking earlier. Going over, he grabbed two. Upon tasting the delicious treats his niece had made, he went back for two more. He really had to encourage her to stay here with him, he didn't want to go back to living by himself. Finishing his second cookie before he ever made it to his bedroom, he kicked off his flip flops and unbuttoned his shirt. He started to unbutton his pants but then remembered that he had to speak with Ellone about the wedding plans first.

Popping the third cookie in his mouth, he left the fourth on his nightstand as he left his bedroom and walked back down the hall. From what he could tell, everyone was sleeping – he couldn't hear anything coming from any of the bedrooms. Getting to Ellone's door, he hesitated a moment. Did he knock and wake both her and Jasper or did he slip in and just rouse her? Too tired to really care, he pressed the release and waited as the door slid open. The light from the hallway spilled onto Ellone's bedroom floor and fell across the dresser and the empty couch where Jasper usually slept. He stopped in his tracks. The bathroom door was open and the lights were all off. Turning to face the bed, he stumbled over a pair of shoes and bumped into the night stand. Quickly switching the lamp on, he went to grab the blankets to call Ellone and Jasper out but was instead met with the sight of a blade near his face.

"Holy Geezard's guts Jasper! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack!?" Laguna cried out as he fell backwards, landing rather unceremoniously on the rug.

"Laguna! Are you mad!?" Jasper hissed as he lowered the dagger to his lap. "You can't just sneak up on a SeeD in the middle of the night and ambush them! I could've cut you right open!" Jasper closed his eyes momentarily as he brought a hand up to cover his heart. He opened his eyes to see Laguna holding his own chest as he recovered from the fright.

Beside him, Ellone stirred under the blankets.

"For your sake she'd better be clothed," Laguna warned him in a breathless tone.

Jasper scowled. "Of course she is," he told him as he tucked the dagger back under his pillow.

"What are you doing with that thing in bed?" Laguna asked. "This place is safe. There are guards posted everywhere and security cameras all over the place."

"It's called protection," Jasper stated. "I don't trust your people."

"That had better not be the only protection you keep around," Laguna grimaced as he stood and rubbed his tender back side. Jasper hesitated and glanced over at Ellone. The mortified look on her face said it all. Laguna paused. "What did I say?" Ellone scooted a little further behind Jasper. Laguna watched her, feeling a bit of panic flare up. "Tell me you've used protection."

"Look, Laguna, we haven't—"

"Don't 'Look Laguna' me," Laguna warned him. "I'm not stupid. You two have been sneaking around the entire time you've been staying here haven't you? I believe you two haven't been messing around about as much as I believe that Selphie and Irvine are both virgins, so spare me your lies," Laguna said flatly.

Jasper opened his mouth but nothing came out. He spared an uncomfortable glance over his shoulder at Ellone. She wet her lips. "Uncle Laguna, he wasn't saying that we …haven't," her voice came out very softly. "He was saying that… we didn't use it and—" she diverted her eyes down to the comforter.

Laguna just stood there, rooted to his spot on the rug. "Ellone honey, finish that sentence."

She looked up at him and adjusted her gown strap. "I'm having a baby," she said, struggling to get the words past her lips.

Laguna just gaped at her. "H-H-How far along?" he managed.

"Almost four months," she answered.

Laguna focused his attention on Jasper. "You're about to need that dagger," he warned him as he forced his stiff leg forward.

"Uncle Laguna, no!" Ellone reached out for Jasper as he quickly got out of bed and met Laguna on the floor. "Jasper!"

"You've got some nerve," Laguna frowned as he shoved Jasper back. "I allowed you to stay here with her under the belief that you were doing your duty of protecting her. She's been shuffled around the world her entire life. She doesn't have any skill set to support a baby!"

"She won't have to do it alone, she has me!" Jasper held up his hands as he tried to calm the older man.

"You lied to me!"

"You wouldn't have allowed us to stay together."

"You lied to me and you disrespected her!"

"No he didn't!" Ellone tried to interject, still sitting on the bed. "Really, Uncle Laguna, Jason and I have been trying to be together for years."

Laguna gave Jasper a disbelieving look. "So your name isn't even Jasper? You lied about that too?!"

Ellone brought her palm up to her forehead. It was too early in the morning to deal with this. "His name is Jason Pernell. Jasper is the nickname I gave him."

"Oh," Laguna paused a moment. "Well, he still lied to me about his intentions with you."

"I lied too," she spoke up.

"Ellone keep out of this, this is between me and Jasper."

She sighed as she threw the blankets aside and slipped out of bed.

"How is she supposed to support herself now?" Laguna charged.

"She won't have to, I'm going to do the supporting for her."

"Is that so?"

"Yes it's so."

"Well who's to say she didn't have any grand plans for her life that you've tossed on the backburner because you couldn't keep it in your pants?"

"You mean like plans grander than her just living under your roof so you can play family with her until the day you get old and senile? Yeah, she has plans. She wants to study here to be a doctor so she can go back to Winhill and practice medicine," Jasper stated. "And she can still study because I'm going to support her."

"Well… how do you propose to do that? I highly doubt Squall is going to continue to pay you to sleep with his sister."

Jasper frowned. "I'm just as much a SeeD as the rest of them," he stated. "I can make a living."

"Supporting yourself doing mercenary work? Just try not to get yourself killed by the time the kid is three."

"If it's good enough for Squall and Rinoa, it's good enough for me and Ellone," Jasper growled through gritted teeth. Laguna lashed out, hitting the younger man, and surprising himself.

"Uncle Laguna!" Ellone scolded him as she ran over to Jasper.

"Stay back!" Jasper told her as he held an arm out. "I'd hate for you to get caught up in the fight."

Laguna fell back. "I-I'm sorry," he managed. "There's no fight. I got carried away."

Ellone frowned as she examined Jasper's face. "I'm twenty-three, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. Like you said, I've been shipped all around the world my entire life, but it was for my safety. I know how to survive with next to nothing, I can care for a baby. We were going to tell you, but we were just waiting for the right opportunity."

Laguna looked down at his hands, the fingers on his right one curling into a fist.

"Why did you even come in here?" Ellone asked softly.

Laguna looked past her and out at the early morning sky through the blinds. "I just—There's a list of contacts on my desk of people helping with the wedding tomorrow. I wanted to ask if you would oversee it while I slept in," he told her.

Ellone nodded. "Of course I will," she told him as she reached out for his hand. "Come here. Please?" Laguna stepped forward and did as she asked. Ellone pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry you found out this way," she whispered. "I really am. I love you."

Laguna smiled as he slid his arms around her and wrapped her in a hug. "I love you too sweetheart. We'll talk more about this after I've had some time to sleep and cool down," he whispered. "Now, set your alarm and get back in bed. You need your rest."

Ellone nodded with a smile. "Good night, Uncle Laguna."

"Good night," he smiled. "Say good night to lover boy as well."

"What?" Jasper asked as Laguna grabbed his arm and jerked him across the rug. "You're not staying with her until you're married to her. Clearly I can trust Squall more than I can trust you. He at least abides by my wishes."

"Uncle Laguna," Ellone said, exasperated.

"Get some rest. For the baby," Laguna smiled as he pointed to the bed. "Don't worry. You can have him back after you wake up and get out of bed again." Ellone sighed as she slumped down to sit on the foot of the bed. She fought a chuckle as she watched Laguna drag Jasper out of the bedroom in his boxers. She just hoped that he didn't toss him in with Squall and the other guys. That would make things awkward at the breakfast table.

Laguna hit the control panel to the door with the palm of his hand. The force of the blow rattled the wall and startled Zell, Irvine, and Squall from their sleep. Squall and Zell were ducking for cover and Irvine was pulling out Ulysses when Laguna unceremoniously shoved Jasper into their bedroom. "He sleeps in here with you guys. If he tries to sneak out, shoot him," Laguna told Irvine.

Still groggy, Irvine blinked as he stared down at Jasper. "He caught you in bed with Ellone didn't he?" Irvine grinned as he sat the gun back under the edge of the bed.

"Not only that," Laguna clarified. "But I found out that he got Ellone pregnant." Squall quickly rose from his place on the floor and stared at Jasper in disbelief. "Have fun with that," Laguna told Squall before pressing the button to slide the door shut.

Zell crossed his arms as he stood next to Squall in his pajamas. "Man you are in so much trouble."


End file.
